marvelous meandering

2012-01-29T18:00:00.000-06:00

"One belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years."

-Thomas Wolfe

New York City is wonderful, but you already knew that.

I, too, knew that before I went. I knew I would love it because it's New York. How could I not? We're talking about the greatest city in the world here. Of course, of course I would love it. And I did love it, and I do. I immediately felt at home.

It's a city people fall in love with for a reason, and you can't really explain it, but you can feel it. The feeling is acute. It happens all at once and swallows you up as you're walking through the Village in the cold or riding the subway back to Brooklyn late at night. You can't help but grin as you take in the graffitied buildings and the taxis weaving through traffic and the eclectic people walking alongside you.

It is simply New York, and it has seized a piece of me in the same way Austin has. You can expect to see me back there for good one day–with Melany in tow, of course, as I couldn't possibly open a second coffee shop by myself.

-Maggie

Oh, fudge. Except I didn't say fudge.

2011-12-24T21:56:00.000-06:00

We're halfway through our second viewing of A Christmas Story and my parents are asleep on the couch. They asked to let them nap for thirty minutes and now, two hours later, refuse to wake up. Zak went to bed around eight, which is odd, but I'm not complaining. Meanwhile, it's making Emmy very restless that my parents haven't started wrapping yet. She keeps messing with the fireplace bellows, despite the fact that my mom wakes up each time and threatens to burn all of Emmy's gifts.

By some brilliant stroke of luck, not only did I not have work today, but I don't work the two days after Christmas either, so I drove home last night after my shift and don't have to leave until Tuesday! (Of course, they have me scheduled to work thirty-four hours in the four days remaining in this week, but I'm going to be rich, so it's okay.)

It's nice to be home. I missed my family and Schnookums (a.k.a. the best, cutest dog ever in the world) who is curled up next to me as I type this.

Since I've been gone, my parents have taken out the wall between the living room and Emmy's room and added a fireplace, so Emmy is in what was my room. It doesn't bother me that I don't have a room at home anymore, but I do really miss my bed. Alas, I shall have to wait until I get an apartment to be reunited with it.

In other Christmas-related news, the Blogger Family did a Secret Santa gift exchange, and I got mine from the lovely Lizzie on Wednesday.

I was bouncing around as I read the letter and looked through everything. She not only gave me a magnet of my favorite picture of Joey Richter (complete with speech bubbles), but a collage of James McAvoy, a bracelet, and a great mix CD.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love the Blogger Family? I really, really love the Blogger Family.

In true Maggie fashion, I sent out my package way later than I was supposed to. A combination of my general procrastination and starting a new job set me back, but it is chock-full of stuff, so hopefully my person will come to forgive me in time.

Well, I must go to bed now because SANTA is coming soon, so Merry Christmas to everyone! And Happy Hanukkah! And other holidays!

-Maggie

2011-12-14T02:33:00.000-06:00

"Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go."
-Sarah Dessen

-Maggie

In which I am sentimental.

2011-12-09T00:43:00.001-06:00

Soon two more of my favorite people will be living in Lubbock with me. KaCee and Jacob have been accepted into Tech and tomorrow they're moving into their new apartment that isn't very far from my grandparents' house.

I am so excited for them to live here, but the picture below made me sentimental and nostalgic. If you know me, then you know it doesn't take very much for me to feel this way, and the fact that I am under great stress from finals week probably isn't helping any, but there's nothing I can do about it now except write.

KaCee and Jacob moved in together last August. The income-based apartments on the Moran highway weren't the greatest, but it wasn't too shabby for a first apartment with your high school sweetheart. Soon enough, pictures were framed, curtains were hung, and little crafts by KaCee were placed all over, and the apartment was really theirs.

That August was right before Melany, KaCee, Husmann and I started our first year of college, so most of those last few weeks we had together were spent in that living room late at night, talking and laughing. Eventually, school forced us apart, but when everyone could make it home for a weekend, we would all meet at KaCee and Jacob's. It became a place of reunion, of retrouvailles.

Even though KaCee and Jacob only lived there for a little over a year, there are many memories attached to that tiny apartment. Jacob playing World of Warcraft, and Kaiser chasing Colt while he giggled like a schoolgirl. The Christmas party that we spent so much time preparing for, and playing a million rounds of Catch Phrase. Watching Rugrats, and ranting about annoying people we know (which is most of them). All of the talks, and the night we didn't end up leaving until five in the morning.

Mostly, a lot of late nights and a lot of laughter and a lot of love.

We've gotten to the point in our lives where the times that we'll all be in the same place at the same time are few and far between, so it's nice that we'll have these things to look back on. It's nice that, for a little while, we had this place to go where we knew that best friends would always be, and that if we weren't all together now, we would be soon.

-Maggie

Bonjour.

2011-12-02T19:36:00.001-06:00

So now that it's December it is officially The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. If you haven't been around my blog for Christmas before, prepare yourself. I really love Christmas, an obscene amount. And why wouldn't I? Christmas is WONDERFUL, not to mention all of the other things that come with this time of year–the cold, wearing scarves and boots, drinking coffee everyday. There's also the fact that I have half a week of regular classes and four finals, and then it's Christmas break, which not only consists of sleeping in and Christmas, but also of NEW YORK.

I can't believe it's already December though! This semester went by so fast. Does time go by faster the older you get? I feel like that's the case. For the most part, I have enjoyed it though.

Some really weird, wonderful, crazy things have happened to me this semester. A lot of things to be thankful for. Let's recap, shall we?

Melany and I drove to San Antonio to see Darren Criss in concert. (Technically, not this semester since it was in July, but we'll ignore that.)
I was hired as seasonal help at Aeropostale in August, but they kept me on as a regular part time employee. Although I greatly dislike Aeropostale as a store, the people were nice and I'm glad they kept me on even though I'd never had a job before.
Sometime around that time I bought mine and Keren's tickets to see Darren Criss in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and began planning my trip to New York in January.
In October, I stayed with Melany in Austin and her, Britny, and I saw Quiet Company in concert and went to the Austin Teen Book Festival where I met Corey Whaley, Maureen Johnson, Jackson Pearce, and Scott Westerfeld.
Three days after I returned from Austin (a.k.a. my favorite place), I found out I would be going back in a month for the S.P.A.C.E. Tour.
Not only did I get to go to the S.P.A.C.E. Tour, but I also got to meet and take pictures with some of my favorite StarKids even though I hadn't gotten VIP. My epic wish on November 11, 2011 at 11:11am had been to meet Joey Richter, which came true and increased sixfold.
Just the other week I took a math test that I didn't study for and therefore blindly guess on nine of the twelve questions, and made an 87.5.
I gave my two weeks notice at Aeropostale on Monday because so many hours were being cut (to the point where there were some weeks I didn't work at all), and by Wednesday I was hired as a checker at United where my pay will increase a little and my hours will increase drastically.
Last night, Corey Whaley followed me on Twitter. We had a conversation spanning several Tweets and he laughed at one of my jokes. Expect wedding invites soon.
And then tonight, John Green replied to one of my posts. Like, a two paragraph reply. Called me marvelousmaggie and everything. (Amy called me to tell me that he had and literally right after I hung up the phone Mayte called to tell me the same. I found it amusing.)

I don't know why all of these fantastic things are happening to me as I've certainly done nothing to deserve them, but I feel very blessed that they have happened. I'm very fortunate, and I should try harder to remember that when I start complaining about Spanish.

And now I bid you adieu. I'm going to watch Doctor Who and stay up extremely late because I get to sleep in tomorrow.

-Maggie

Sometimes I am such a girl.

2011-11-21T00:24:00.001-06:00

There is a direct correlation between the dropping temperatures and my growing awareness of being alone.

Every year at about this time, I suddenly realize that I am alone and have been for a very long time. The thought, which is usually tucked away in the back of my mind, claws its way to the forefront and camps out until March. I am not sure why this is. Maybe it's just easier to be lonely when it's cold outside.

At any rate, it makes me feel immensely girly. Not the good kind of girly with lipstick and dresses, but the bad kind that makes you feel stupid and vulnerable because you want someone.

I am fine without someone. I do not need someone. I am not wallowing in my misery. I'm not even miserable. Sometimes I just think it would be really nice if I had someone to lie in bed and read with, or dance in the car to Coldplay with, or have a Harry Potter marathon with.

It's not so bad to want things from time to time.

-Maggie

This is the story of how I died.

2011-11-16T22:18:00.000-06:00

Last week started off badly.

I noticed that I could feel a thumping behind my gas pedal when I was in second gear, so I asked D-Dad to check it out since I was driving seven hours to Austin on Friday. When he drove it, the thumping turned into shaking, so we took it to the shop. The first place we went to couldn't diagnosis it without taking the axle off or something like that, so D-Dad took it to another shop the next day. The second shop was able to figure out the problem and went to work on fixing it.

I asked my mom what I would do if my car didn't get fixed and she said that I probably wouldn't get to go because plane tickets were far too expensive now. Cue my breakdown.

The shop called Wednesday afternoon and said they had fixed the first problem, but found something else. At this point, I was searching for buses and figuring how long it would take to walk there. I was desperately searching for some means of transport while simultaneously trying to prepare myself what seemed to be an imminent defeat.

But there was no need. My car was fixed and running smoothly by the time my school day ended on Thursday. I am very thankful that I have grandparents and parents that realize when something is important to me even if they don't understand why. My grandfather worked very hard to make sure that they fixed my car before Friday while my mom and dad were trying to come up with alternative ways I could get to Austin just in case. They're the very best.

So on Friday, November 11th I packed, stopped to make an epic wish at 11:11am, and then drove the seven hours to Austin–saved once again by an audiobook lent by Andrew (this time it was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). I was driving into Austin by the time the sun had set, and met Britny and Melany at Chuy's.

After we ate, we went to this toy store called Toy Joy, which was magical and had Spock and Kirk nutcrackers. Then we went to play putt-putt and walked around downtown, and had no ulterior motives for doing so.

The next day we got in line for the S.P.A.C.E. Tour at about twelve-thirty, which was later than we'd intended, but we always get places later than we intend. We had picked up McDonald's, but I was too anxious to eat my Big Mac, so I made Melany put it in her purse. Then we had to deal with Grumpy Line Melany, which is my least favorite Melany.

Julia Albain walked by at one point and I was all weird and loud when I said hi. Nobody else really noticed her, and I was all SHE IS THE DIRECTOR OF THIS TOUR. SHOW SOME RESPECT. Then I saw Liam White of Liam's Got A Phone Call fame, but I wasn't sure if it was him when I first saw him, so I didn't say anything.

When we finally got inside, we got in the merch line where I spent all of my money and saw Corey Lubowich. I bought the S.P.A.C.E. Tour shirt, Jim and the Povolos shirt, their EP, and two StarKid buttons. Money well spent.

While in the merch line, we could see Team StarKid walking around upstairs, and I nearly died the first time I saw Joey (and every subsequent time). We got a spot in the back on the left side of the stage as per Natalie's suggestion for maximum Joey viewing, and stared up at the StarKids chatting amongst themselves while we waited for the concert to start.

Charlene Kaye was fabulous, and I am looking forward to buying her new CD. Dylan Saunders came out to sing "Dress & Tie" with her, and we all swooned because he has the voice of an angel. Later on, he came back out with Jaime Lyn Beatty to sing "Animal Love," and it was FANTASTIC. They pulled a girl up on stage who Charlene recognized from covers the girl had sent her and she got into it. It was the best part of Charlene's set.

Then we waited and stared some more, until Brian Holden's voice came out of the speakers requesting no flash photography or video and then they went into this bit that was just so something Team StarKid would do. I cannot convey to you how wonderful the show was. There are not enough positive adjectives in the world to properly describe it. I officially declared it as the best day of my life before the show was even halfway over, and after the show Melany said, "I could walk into traffic and get hit by four cars and have no regrets now."

LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT.

So I found my friend Alissa (who I met at Darren Criss's San Antonio concert) outside after the show. We waited outside the doors with about ten other people and discussed the possibilities of polypolygamy. There was about thirty more people waiting across the street where the StarKids' trailer was, and we all stood there for the next hour watching them walk back and forth loading all their equipment. I was trying to gather the courage to ask Joey for a picture as he walked by, but couldn't do it.

Then all of them were standing by their trailer and some sort of signal was given that meant we could ask for pictures, so we ran across the street and I went straight for Joey. I kind of wedged my way to the right side of the crowd surrounding him, and then he turned to me and I don't know how I didn't throw up or faint, but I'm glad I didn't because then I introduced myself and got a picture with him.

No, I don't think you understand. I GOT A PICTURE WITH JOEY RICHTER. LIKE, I MET HIM AND HE SAID MY NAME. AND I LOVE HIM.

Anyway, I called Amy and fought my way back through the crowd to Joey. I told her to hold on just one second, called out to Joey, and heard her say, "JOEY RICHTER?" even though I was holding the phone away from me, which was really funny to me. After that, we made our way over to Joe who was trapped between a wall of a parking garage and a wall of fangirls, and then to Brian who is really tiny. Dylan and I bonded over the San Francisco Giants and he said his mom's name is Maggie, which I am taking as a sign that we'll be married soon, and Jaime said she liked my earrings.

I called Keren and she did not answer, so I called her twice more and she sounded flustered when she answered. She asked me if she could call me back in ten minutes and I told her to hurry as fast as she could and she said, "Okay, just two minutes. Let me get out of work." So she called me back and I said, "Sorry if I freaked you out, but I have someone here who needs to talk to you," and I handed the phone to Joe. I cannot remember exactly what Joe said, but this is the gist of it.

Joe: Hi, this is Joe.

Keren: . . .

Joe: This is Joseph Walker, and I'm here to tell you some bad news. We're all gonna die someday.

Keren: . . .

Joe: Well, you're taking it a lot better than I did when I found out.

Keren: . . .

Joe: If it makes you feel any better, you probably won't die for a long time. Don't die now or I'm going to feel really bad.

Keren: . . .

Joe: Okay, well, your friend just wanted me to say hi and please don't die. Here's your friend, okay, bye!

Then he handed the phone back to me and said he was so embarrassed and it was just really adorable. Also, we took two pictures with him because he made a weird face in the first one and said, "I don't think I look very–yeah, let's take that again." It was just funny.

In short, I am madly in love with every member of Team StarKid.

After they all boarded the bus, we walked down the street towards Melany's car, but ended up sitting on a bench across the street from it for a good fifteen minutes trying to take in what had just happened to us. Eventually, we got up to put our stuff in Melany's car and walked back down to Austin Java. I ordered a chicken sandwich, but couldn't eat because I was still reeling from everything that had happened and Britny said that I had "involuntary anorexia," which I think should actually be a thing if it isn't already.

So that's the story of how I died, and if any of you who are not in the blogging family caught that Doctor Who reference, then I love you.

Oh, and the wish I made on November 11, 2011 at 11:11am?

"I wish I could meet Joey Richter this weekend."

WISHES DO COME TRUE, KIDS.

-Maggie

Camp Bunny Rabbit

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

Here we are again, where I am writing a blog a month and a half after the subject of the post took place. Why is it so difficult for me to write a post in a timely manner?

The first weekend in October, the Austin Teen Book Festival and Quiet Company's CD release party took place, so I loaded up my car and drove the seven hours to Austin. Now, before we get into the details of my trip, let's take a moment to appreciate just how freaking huge Texas is. Lubbock isn't even at the very top of the state and Austin isn't even at the very bottom, but it still takes seven hours to get from one to the other. I'm just saying.

I would not have made it through that drive had it not been for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows audiobook, which was loaned to me by Andrew. Even though Jim Dale is annoying sometimes (if you're going to invest in an audiobook, definitely get the UK versions because Stephen Fry is much better as Stephen Fry usually is), it was still wonderful to have. The entire book is twenty-one hours long, so I got to listen to it the following week as I drove around Lubbock and back to Albany as well. I may have cried at "The Forest Again" and fist-pumped when Neville killed Nagini.

Anyway, I stopped in Early to get gas and a Twix, and as I was walking into the gas station, two dirty old men in a pick-up truck stared at me as they drove by. Not stared, leered. They weren't even subtle about it! One of them even flipped around to get a better look out the back window! Needless to say, I am scarred for life.

I did make it to Austin safely though, so it was all right. Well, all right physically. Not so much emotionally.

Soon after I got there, Britny walked over to Melany's dorm and the three of us headed off to Torchy's Tacos, which Melany was really excited about but I found lacking. Then we spent the next half hour watching Melany half-heartedly trying to hail a cab until she finally gave in and called for one.

We didn't get to the concert until half past eight, so we missed the first band, but showed up right as the second band, Whitman, was taking the stage. Their lead singer was, as Melany put it, a real-life Muppet. He was doing so much jumping around and flailing that we all wondered how he never tripped over any of the cords. The next band was Saints of Valory, which the three of us liked enough to buy the EP. It helped that the lead singer was Brazilian and had nice hair. Saints of Valory was, as Melany put it, like the United Nations because not only was the lead singer Brazilian, but the bass guitarist was from California, the drummer from Paris, and the keyboardist from Canada.

Then Quiet Company took the stage in their suits, surrounded by random instruments (including but not limited to a melodica), and put on the best show ever. The entire time I was hoping they would play "On Modern Men," one of my favorites. Towards the end of the show, they asked what they should play next and a guy called it out, and I lost all of my inhibitions and yelled, "YES! I LIKE YOU." And then Melany and Britny laughed at me, but that didn't matter because it was their second encore/final song and it was GREAT. They were seriously so fun, and if you ever get the chance, you should definitely see them live. And if you do not know who they are, tell me and I will fix that for you.

After the concert, we took a cab back to Melany's dorm only to get in Melany's car and go to McDonald's, where we sat in the parking lot eating french fries and jamming to Team StarKid. That's how you party in Austin on a Friday night.

The next morning we headed to the book festival! After Scott Westerfeld's keynote, there were three time slots that you could fill with any three panels you liked. The first we went to was "Real Life Is Messy" because David Levithan was on it. One of the other authors on the panel was named John Corey Whaley who had just published his first book Where Things Come Back (which is fabulous) and looks like a mix of Dylan Saunders and Joe Walker. He was adorable, and the three of us were blatantly staring at him throughout the hour. The panel itself was good too, as well as very funny. David Levithan may have made a comment about "one-handed reading" at one point that had everyone in stitches.

The second panel (we picked "Supernatural Suspense") was after lunch, so we were a little late, but it was difficult to hear as it was in the main room so it didn't really matter. I was very annoyed though because it was Jackson Pearce's panel and I love her, but what can you do? The third panel we went to was "Alternaworlds" which Scott Westerfeld and Maureen Johnson were both on, so I knew it would be good.

All in all, all of the authors at the festival were hilarious. Also, in every panel we went to, someone asked "If you could choose any fictional world to be real, which would you choose?" and all of the authors immediately and unanimously said Harry Potter.

After the panels, everyone started lining up for the signing. I had brought two of my Maureen Johnson books with me, one Jackson Pearce, and my cousin's copy of Uglies to get signed for her, but I also bought Anna and the French Kiss and Where Things Come Back. I was very worried that I wouldn't get all of my books signed in the hour allotted, but with the help of Melany and because Scott Westerfeld stayed late, I managed to get them all signed. In short: Corey Whaley is the cutest, Maureen Johnson is adorable, Jackson Pearce is so pretty it's stupid, and Scott Westerfeld is extremely nice.

So with that we left the festival with our bags weighed down with books and returned to Melany's dorm where we watched How I Met Your Mother and ordered pizza. Well, technically I ordered the pizza as Melany and Britny cannot handle phone conversations with other human beings.

We went for to Amy's Ice Cream later on where we encountered more attractive hipsters and the most effective tip jar I've ever seen. I put in a dollar for Picard because I have loved him since I was a wee one, although I have nothing against Kirk.

After that we rode around jamming to Team StarKid and Glee again because we know how to live.

The next morning, we planned to go to brunch since I needed to leave by eleven, but since it's us, we had lunch and I didn't leave until after twelve. I was very sad to leave, not only because I love my friends and had such a good weekend, but because I love Austin. It feels like I have visited Austin many, many times, but have actually only been there for five or six weekends in the past three years. It's very strange to me that I feel so at home in a place I've never actually lived, and I cannot wait to call it home one day.

So yes, I was sad to leave, but little did I know that three days later I would find another reason to go back in November. Most of you already know about this because, I mean, I haven't shut up about it on every other social networking site, but the entire story deserves its own post.

Hopefully, this one won't take a month to write.

-Maggie

What makes you terribly happy?

2011-11-02T00:13:00.000-05:00

Lina and Amy made terribly happy lists, and so here I am, doing what I do best: Copying my blog friends.

There are many, many things that make me terribly happy as I am generally an excitable, happy person, so I've just narrowed this down to ten things that have made me terribly happy lately. Also, that blog I started a month ago detailing my Austin trip will be posted. You know, eventually.

Listening to Quiet Company.
Boots, sweaters, and slouchy beanies.
Cleaning my room.
Cold, rainy days, or just cold days in general.
Watching seasons of my favorite shows for the umpteenth time.
My five-year Q&A journal.
White chocolate mochas.
Team StarKid.
My English class.
Blogging family. <3

Good night all.

-Maggie

2011-10-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

This accurately describes my feelings since Wednesday night.

Post about how awesome last weekend was probably coming sometime after five o'clock tonight as I cannot focus on anything.

-Maggie

And it ain't hard to believe in love in the city of lights.

2011-09-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

Sitting in Starbucks. Sipping a white chocolate mocha. Listening to Bon Iver Pandora. Frantically working through my math homework. Wishing I had a sweater.

Tomorrow is my first math test, which I am hoping upon hope that I do not fail. You should hope the same.

After my usual eight to five school day, I have to drive straight to work where I will be until ten-thirty. So that's fun. Upon arriving home, I will I have to study for my second Spanish composition that will take place Friday morning.

But then, after all that crap, I will leave for Austin.

Yes, please.

-Maggie

GOD, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY.

2011-09-21T00:41:00.000-05:00

Anyone who follows me on Twitter or Tumblr, is my friend on Facebook, or has ever been around me when I've talked about or watched Glee who continues to be my friend: God bless you. Especially you people who do not like Glee and yet still love me despite my being in love with a television show. You know who you are.*

So, yes, Glee is back and the first episode was wonderful. I am not ashamed to say that any time Kurt and Blaine came on the screen I lost all dignity. There was squealing, general flailing, and at one point I was literally running laps around the coffee table. My grandparents were in the room for half of the episode and I am sure they are now regretting letting the crazy grandchild live with them. I did warn them several times that it was probably for the best that I watch Glee alone, but they did not heed my warnings.

I watched the first two episodes of How I Met Your Mother during my break today, and as jazzed as I get about Glee, How I Met Your Mother still holds the top spot on my list of favorite television shows. It's just good. Why don't you watch it? You really should.

Fall is the best season for many reasons, and one of those is definitely the television. If you have the same love of sitcoms and crime dramas as I do, then you will agree.

This past weekend, my grandparents and I went to visit my family in Albany. It was a nice visit in which I played volleyball with my siblings, sat on the front porch during a storm, visited KaCee and Jacob, and cuddled with Schnookums. Schnookums is the best dog in the world, okay?

This weekend is Albany's Homecoming, but I will not be able to go because of work. I am sad I won't be able to see everyone, but next weekend will make up for it. I am driving to Austin to stay with Melany for the weekend, and we are going to Quiet Company's release party/concert and the Austin Teen Book Festival where I will hopefully get to meet Maureen Johnson and Jackson Pearce! I was originally just going for the festival, but then I found out about the release party and Melany and I bought our tickets. I'm very excited for this because 1) I love Austin, 2) A FESTIVAL OF BOOKS, 3) Quiet Company is awesome, and 4) Melany is my best friend and it has been too long since we've seen each other, especially considering how codependent** we are. It will be a seven-hour drive, but it will be WORTH IT.

Anyway, school is okay. Spanish is still too early and math is still math, but what can you do? When I get down about having to get up at six every morning or with the fact that math homework takes me so long to do, I focus on two things: 1) Natalie and Lizzie have it much worse, and 2) At the end of this semester I will get to go to New York.

I still can't believe I'm going to New York, and do not think that I will really believe it until I'm actually there. It's so exciting though. I'll be buying my plane ticket soon, and then just working on saving up as much spending money as I can until it's time to go. January 7th, come swiftly.

-Maggie

* You are Shelby. And KaCee, though KaCee still hates me sometimes.

** We have honestly talked to or texted each other every day since we left Albany. It's actually incredibly sad.

9/11

2011-09-11T13:54:00.001-05:00

It has been ten years since this happened. Ten years.

I was sitting in my fourth grade language class. Our teacher told us to gather around her chair on the rug, and I remember being annoyed because the rug was always dirty and she never wore shoes. She proceeded to explain that something bad had happened, and if the teachers and our parents were acting strangely, that was why. I don't remember her elaborating any more, just that it was something bad.

When I got home that afternoon, my mom's face was red from crying and I asked what was wrong. She sat me down at the dining room table, and asked me if I knew what the word "hijack" meant. I thought I knew it, and I have no idea where I even got this idea from, but I told her it was when an airplane hit another airplane from behind. I remember feeling very smart and grown-up as I gave her my answer, and then very sheepish after she told me the correct definition.

She explained about the four planes that had crashed, what the buildings were and why they were important, and that it was all an attack on the United States. She told me how many people they thought were in the towers when they collapsed, and how hard they were working to recover people from the rubble. She assured me that it was going to be okay.

My parents forbade me to watch the news, but, naturally, I did anyway. I remember that they kept showing the towers collapsing, and footage of people running from the wall of smoke and dust caused by the fall. I remember a specific replay of the second plane hitting or the first tower collapsing, and the newscasters in shock, only capable of saying, "Oh God. Oh my God."

The events of September 11, 2001 are something that lay very heavily on my heart, and seem to get heavier as I get older. I don't know if that has come with the increased understanding of what happened, or if it's something else entirely, but it's there and my heart aches for it.

I know that we're never going to forget. Everyone who was alive when this happened will remember it for the rest of their lives. It is not something that leaves you, no matter if you were there or if you lost someone or if you even really understood what was happening at the time.

And I know it upsets some people that such a big deal is made every year, that America is "picking at the scab," but it's needed. No, we'll never forget, but it's important to let people know that we still remember. It was an event that dramatically altered the entire nation, and continues to define things we do today. Lives were lost, families were broken. Everything changed.

We're not picking at the scab. We're continuing to doctor it, and though it will never heal completely, it's nice to know it's getting better.

-Maggie

Here's to the good days.

2011-09-05T23:43:00.001-05:00

When I woke up yesterday morning, I crawled out of bed and opened the blinds to see the sky was gray. Wonderfully gray, the breeze was chilly, and it felt like autumn. It was the perfect start to a Sunday.

After Sunday school, I went over to the Copeland's for fajitas, and then left for my first Quidditch practice. I knew that Quidditch was going to be awesome because, I mean, it's Quidditch, but actually getting to see and play the game was so much funner than I could have imagined.

There were so many people there, more than fifty I'd say. A lot more than the returning team members were expecting, I think. We played several games with everyone switching out so we all got a chance to play and try out different positions. I tried Chaser first, and determined very quickly that I simply was not aggressive enough to play that position, and switched to Beater, which I loved playing. When I wasn't on the field, I watched from the sidelines and talked to the others waiting for their chance to go in again. There was a lot of laughing and conversation was very easy with everyone I talked to. I mean, these are my people. We are kindred. It was wonderful.

If the college you attend has a team, JOIN. You will regret it if you don't.

After Quidditch, I went to grab some things* that Husmann had picked up for me when she went home last weekend. As I was leaving her apartment, Julia called me and said our Sunday school small group was going bowling, so I rushed home to make myself presentable and she picked me up.

I am only good at bowling sometimes, and last night I went from good to bad to abysmal. It didn't help that we were using thirteen pound balls for the majority of the time, and when we did find a smaller one, the finger holes were very tiny. I could only fit the very tips of my fingers in, which made me nervous that I would lose grip of the ball when I swung my arm back and therefore be responsible for someone's decapitation. Luckily, that did not happen, but Alayna did brutally beat all of us with a score of 150.

Julia and I stopped at the lake with the red, white, and blue fountains in the middle, and laid in the grass and talked for awhile. It was just nice, and we couldn't figure out how we'd never thought to do it before.

It was a good day, and I just wanted to tell you about it.

Here's to many more for you and I.

-Maggie

P.S. After much consideration and wandering around the site, I have decided that I do like the new Blogger interface. I know you were all anxious to hear my thoughts on this subject.

* Including mine and Keren's tickets to How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in Jaunary. I AM GOING TO NEW YORK, GUYS. I keep forgetting, and then I freak out all over again when I remember.

I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus.

2011-09-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

New Blogger design: Do not know if want. It feels like I'm in a foreign land. A really shiny, white foreign land. Like a doctor's office in a foreign land.

Moving on.

I started school last Thursday. I suppose it is bizarre to think that I am actually going to Tech now, but it doesn't really feel any different except for the fact there are thirty thousand more people to get in my way as I bike to class. (Speaking of which, I love actually being able to use my bike. It's cute, and it makes going from one end of the campus to the other suck a little less.)

Although there are some drawbacks (like having Spanish every morning at eight o'clock, having math at all, etc.), I really like my classes. My favorite is my English class, which is essentially a class about books. It's small and intimate, and most everyone in there is an English major as well. In my first response paper, I got to talk about my relationship with books and how I use them. My next assignment includes making a quill, and reading by candlelight for twenty minutes and writing about the experience. Also, one of the required texts for the class is The Smithsonian Book of Books, which, in short, is the coolest textbook I've ever had.

My Spanish class isn't as bad as what I was anticipating even though it is at eight Monday through Friday. Every time I am in Journalism, I think for just a second that I am in Austin because it reminds me of taking classes at ILPC, but, sadly, I never am. Regardless of how much it makes me miss Austin, I enjoy it and find my professor to be extremely arrogant and sarcastic–the mark of a true journalist. I love it.

My math class will be the bane of my semester as it is extraordinarily easy for me to completely block out anything to do with numbers and formulas. I don't even realize I am doing it most of the time, which is unfortunate. Thankfully, Husmann is also taking this class and can help me if I need it.

The last class is Child Psychology, which I am taking to fulfill one of my general degree requirements. I was surprised to find that about half the class has no desire to work with children, or even really like children for that matter. I think that I will get along well with these people.

In other news, apparently I am still employed at Aeropostale, but am only working on the weekends. It's nice that I still have a little bit of income while I look for another job, but it is getting very tiring waking up early every day of the week.

I've been going to church with Julia on Sundays and Wednesdays, which I've enjoyed immensely. It's nice to have that back.

Also, living with your grandparents is something I highly encourage you to do. We watch whatever old movies D-Dad has recorded in the living room a few times a week, and play cards at least once a day. Every Monday is Burger Night since they're are two for one at Dairy Queen, and you know how much I love burgers. It also makes it perfectly acceptable to put your pajamas on at seven o'clock as I did on Tuesday.

Living with your grandparents is good for the soul.

It's also very entertaining, as Denny's life is defined by her constant battle with the squirrels of Lubbock. The squirrels destroy Denny's pecans, and that infuriates her, so she has various (often ruthless) ways of getting rid of them. Today as we were walking to the front door, we heard a bizarre squawking noise that turned out to be a squirrel. I think that it saw my grandmother and was calling out a warning to its squirrel buddies.

As much as I love living with Denny and D-Dad, I do miss my family. And Schnookums. I'm still convinced I could have hidden her upstairs and Denny would have never known.

Le sigh.

Despite being tired most of the time, after a year of doing basically nothing at Cisco, I like being so busy with school, work, church, etc. It makes the days when I actually can laze about and do nothing that much better.

And now I must go. I hope everyone else is enjoying their classes, jobs, life, etc. as well!

-Maggie

I am such a bad blogger.

2011-08-16T18:03:00.015-05:00

Hi, you probably don't remember me, but I'm Maggie and I used to blog here.

A lot has happened in my unintentional month long hiatus, which is part of the reason I haven't blogged as I've been busy. The other part is a weird little complex I have. You see, when something really exciting happens that I know will make a good, long blog, I put it off (like a true procrastinator) because I know it will take me a long time to write. And then, like this past month, more and more exciting things start building up, making writing a blog about them all seem very daunting.

But I am here now, and will try to be brief with each topic. We will tackle all of these together.

First and foremost, I somehow made it through the last Harry Potter movie. I was tearing up throughout the whole thing, but didn't really lose it until Hermione said, "I'll go with you." That one stabbed me right in the heart. Not to mention the fade out on the Golden Trio with "Leaving Hogwarts" playing in the background.

Going to the midnight release was so much fun, and I wish I could have gone to more. It is cool though–in a way–that my first and last book release and midnight premiere were the very last ones ever.

The day after the premiere, I moved most of my things to Lubbock, which was weird. But then on Wednesday I drove to Albany, picked up Melany, and we made our way to San Antonio to see Darren Criss in concert.* This I have to tell you about in detail so you can understand how big of a fangirl I truly am.

I woke up at, like, 5:45am and was suddenly a morning person, which I'm sure had nothing to do with the Darren Criss concert. We were scheduled to leave at seven, but didn't until a little after and then stopped at Starbucks, so we didn't get to the gates until about 7:50am. There were two lines and we were third in the left line of those waiting for the parking gates to open at ten. They opened the parking gates early because the line was blocking the intersection of an actual street, and Melany and I ran up to the already forming line into the park. I waited to buy Melany's ticket while she saved our spot at the park entrance. The park gates opened thirty minutes early as well, but they had planted security guards the entire way to the season pass office (which is where we were to get the concert wristbands) so no one could run, as we all wanted to. We got the wristbands, and started towards the candy store where, if we bought to packs of Starbursts, we could get VIP wristbands. They had roped off the street towards the candy store though, and there were fangirls and boys lined up waiting for this tiny guy to give us the okay to go.

"Can we go?" a girl up front asked.

The guy shook his head, and continued to pace back and forth in front us. The tease.

"What about now? Can we go now?"

He walked to the side and leaned up against a post, then nodded his head, and everyone took off. There were no security guards along this path, so everyone was sprinting towards the candy store, which was honestly, like, a mile away. Okay, not a mile, but it was at the opposite end of the park. It feels like a mile when you sprint the entire way. I have never been so motivated to keep running before, and am fairly certain I have never run so fast. I don't know what this says about me as a person, probably something bad, but I don't care. I ended up being the tenth in line to the candy store where a security guard was monitoring the door and letting everyone in one at a time. After we got the VIP wristbands, I felt very woozy, so we left for a nearby mall to eat and sit in Barnes & Noble for awhile. We went back to the park at nearly three, and decided it was too hot to wait in line, so we found places to sit and rode the train twelve times. We decided to get in line at half-past four and nearly died from the heat, but were finally let into the amphitheater at six where we got wonderful seats a few rows back in the middle section.

The concert started at seven with Alyson Stoner (you know, from Mike's Super Short Show?) as the opening act which was, you know, okay, but no one really cared. Then Darren finally came out and he is quite honestly the most adorable person in this world.** The concert was just wonderful. I squealed and jumped and sang the entire time. And took pictures . . . over five hundred. Heh.

What else did I have to tell you?

I was hired at Aeropostale as a temporary for back-to-school, and since August is nearly over I am looking for a job again, which, you know, sucks. I did like working at Aeropostale though, even though I haven't shopped there since junior high and I came home covered in glitter and smelling of cologne every day.

I hope I can find a job at a coffee shop. I would actually cry from happiness.

Well, I hope I can just find a job somewhere, like, tomorrow because I need to save up as much as I can because I am going to NEW YORK in January. IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING. Keren and I have already purchased the tickets for How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying with Darren Criss playing lead, which is going to be just phenomenal, let me tell you. I will randomly remember that I am going to New York to stay with Keren for five days, and get so excited that I could actually die. But I won't, as I want to go to New York.

Anyway.

I have forgotten the rest of what I was to tell you. Crap.

Sorry it took me so incredibly long to blog, and that this post wasn't exactly the greatest, but yeah. I shall never do it again.

Okay, I probably will at some point, but then Shelby will just yell at me again and I'll get to it eventually.

-Maggie

* It took a lot of restraint to keep from typing that whole sentence in capital letters.

** You do not understand how difficult it is for me to type this out without perpetual caps lock.

Nine hours and fifty-five minutes until the end of my childhood.

2011-07-14T14:05:00.000-05:00

-Maggie

Four days until the end of my childhood.

2011-07-11T04:40:00.008-05:00

So there was this one time that I said I was going to stop going to bed at five every night/morning, that I was going to attempt to get my sleep schedule back on track by Saturday because I know that I will not get to sleep in a Denny and D-Dad's house ever.

That time was this ~~morning~~ afternoon when I woke up. Apparently, that's not going very well as it's currently 4:44am.

I just got really into finishing Kaylie's package for the swap and Natalie's thing, and then I was listening to the Harry Potter soundtracks in order and playing a Will & Grace trivia game. Now I'm decorating a picture frame with this quote: "Home isn't a place anymore. It's a group of people."

In short: I am procrastinating going to sleep. I don't really know why; I just don't want to go to bed yet.

Oh, look. An accurate representation of me after I see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.

Today (well, yesterday, I suppose) I finished my Post-Potter Depression playlist. I am very pleased with it, and have been listening to it all day because I am already depressed.

I will be buying this necklace, this scarf, and this book as soon as I possibly can. Also, a bike rack for my car, which I need and want, but do not want to pay for.

Why is it so much fun to stay up late? Why can't I have this much fun in the middle of the day or even–dare I say it–the morning? I wonder what it would be like to actually be awake in the morning. That's crazy talk.

Tomorrow–I mean, today, Emmy, Zak, and I are going bowling, so maybe I really should go to bed. I suppose this picture frame doesn't need to be decorated right this second.

-Maggie

Six days until the end of my childhood.

2011-07-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

The Emma Watson article in this month's Vogue was really, really good. It was very well-written and Emma Watson is just an interesting person. Just in case you wanted to know. Maybe you should go pick up a copy. I mean, who doesn't love an issue of Vogue? Okay, maybe not everyone loves fashion magazines as much as I do. It actually wasn't until the other day in CVS when I was picking up that Vogue, the new Elle, and searching the store for Vanity Fair that I realized how much I love them. Maybe I have a problem.

My midnight premiere tickets for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II have been purchased. When I saw that the tickets were finally available for the Abilene theater, I was sprinting around my house asking my mom for permission to use the credit card, calling my friends, and woo-hooing. I am more excited than I can convey without using capital jumbled letters and the occasional semicolon.*

I watched the premiere yesterday where Emma Watson continued to be the more stunning and chic than everyone else and Matthew Lewis looked particularly–hmm, how to say this–sexy. The speeches that Dan, Emma, Rupert, and Jo made were wonderful and, of course, made me cry. I was actually sobbing at one point.

Yesterday was very emotional.

I tear up every time I read or hear this quote: "The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." Especially that last bit.

I just can't believe that this is really it, you know?

-Maggie

* ASLDFJAE;FLAKDJSF;ILAWSKDFJ;DSLAFKJ

2011-06-23T14:45:00.006-05:00

Some of you may have been thinking that I did not make it to six this morning because I didn't post, but, of course, I did. I mean, it's Harry Potter. Like I would have failed.

The reason I didn't post this morning is because my dad woke up to get ready for work and wasn't exactly happy that I hadn't gone to bed yet. I heard him in the kitchen and tried to turn off my TV, light, and computer and get into bed as quickly and silently as possible, but he caught me. I mean, I knew that my parents were going to find out that I had stayed up until after six anyway, but I would have rather them found out via Twitter/Facebook after I'd already gone to bed.

Oh well. It was totally worth it.

Pottermore is going to be the most wonderful, fantastic, beautiful thing to ever grace the Internet. Here we all are, worrying about our childhood ending on July 15th while J.K. Rowling has been working on this. I just imagine her patting our heads and saying, "There, there. Don't fret. I've got this all under control."

Thanks, J.K.

-Maggie

2011-06-23T02:58:00.003-05:00

Three hours left until we find out what Pottermore is. That's six episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Okay, I can do this. Sleep is for the weak.

I was committed to staying up until the announcement when I thought it was going to be five a.m. my time, and by the time I figured out it was six a.m. I was already too far in to go to bed and wake up at six instead. Does that make sense? I can't tell. I'm sleepy.

Anyway, I went to see Super 8 with my parents tonight and it was really, really good. Albeit the ending was kind of cheesy. But still.

I should be back here in a few hours flailing over whatever Pottermore is. If I'm not then you know that I have failed as a fan/person and will be crying the rest of my days.

To the few bloggers that I know are waiting up too and might see this tonight: What color should I paint my nails?

-Maggie

'Ello, poppet.

2011-06-14T18:37:00.005-05:00

Sometimes you have best friends and sometimes they get accepted into the College of Communications at the University of Texas after months of waiting for a response. Sometimes they are named Melany and sometimes they look like this.

We are all super excited for her because she's been worrying about this since, like, November and has mentioned it every day since then. So congratulations to Melany! We're going to have an Oreo party tonight to celebrate. (We were going to have an Oreo party anyway because KaCee found them at the store two for five dollars and got super stoked about it, but when we heard Melany's news we turned it into something for her.)

On Sunday, KaCee, Melany, and I made a day trip to Fort Worth to go to this giant antique mall where I bought a pair of earrings, a book that came out two years ago,* and an Albany Lions football schedule from 1966. It was the weirdest thing to stumble upon, but also the coolest. It was a fun little trip that made us feel like grown-ups. On the way home we talked about how we couldn't wait to road trip to Coachella one day and live in Austin together, like we do almost everyday.

Later that night, the three of us plus Britton and Husmann rode around for awhile with the radio turned up, windows rolled down, and singing as loud as we could to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." I kept thinking, "This is one of those in-that-moment-I-swear-we-were-infinite kind of nights."

Yesterday, we went to see X-Men First Class and it was just so good. I adore superhero movies in general, but X-Men hold a special, awesome place in my heart. My cousin Andrew and I used to play with the action figures all the time, and he would tell me all the back story and what was happening in the comics. X-Men are the best.

I'm going to see it again on Friday with Emily. So, so stoked.

This weekend my family and I are going to Lubbock to drop Zak off for some camp, and I'm bringing some of my stuff up and we're going to clean out my room at my grandparents'. It's just so weird that I'm going to live in Lubbock. I'm so used to just visiting.

So long for now.

-Maggie

* Craig Ferguson's American on Purpose. Currently $25.99 on Amazon. Got it for $1.95. Suckaaas.

2011-06-07T00:33:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to watch Starship, but this hotel's Wi-Fi is so crappy I have to wait for it to load and then reload it sometimes when the Internet cuts out. Basically, I am super annoyed. I mean, I guess I'm easily annoyed in general, but slow Internet is something that just really gets to me. Especially when it's keeping me from watching Joey Richter's beautiful face.

This has been a post.

-Maggie

"Inside of you, there's a fashion model just waiting to throw up."

2011-06-04T13:04:00.002-05:00

My family and I are currently in our new space car* on the way to San Antonio for a seven-day vacation. This is the first real vacation we’ve taken since we went to Biloxi, Mississippi when I was, like, ten. I don’t really know what all we’re going to do down there. I don’t think any of us do actually, BUT it’s a vacation. Even though we might end up killing each other because, really, seven days is a long time.

The other night via Tumblr (wonderful, wonderful Tumblr) I found a Harry Potter name generator and mine came out as Luna Lapaine. File under: Possible Pseudonyms.

I have decided that next year Melany and I are going to see Glee Live. In Chicago. And then we’re going to stay there until we find at least three StarKids. Preferably Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Jamie Lyn Beatty. (If Joey Richter happens to be visiting that week then that would be cool too. And by cool I mean I would actually die.)

Amy and Shelby made posts about their daily routine and I’ve decided to follow suit because they’re cool and I want to be just like them.

If we’re being honest, when it’s summer (or the weekend or any weekday that I don’t have anything planned) since I don’t have a job, I sleep in until about twelve. Then I get up and stay in my pajamas all day watching sitcoms and reading books. I am indecently lazy. Please don’t judge me.

On days I have plans or school, I always mean to wake up two hours before I have to leave my house, but usually wake up an hour before. Sometimes less.

When I finally get up, I eat breakfast and look through Twitter and Facebook on my phone, then I go shower. I change shampoo, conditioner, and face wash every time I run out. Right now I’m using TRESemmé and some Neutrogena face scrub that I don’t think actually works, but I don’t really have bad skin so it’s not a big deal. I always get green apple shampoo from Suave for my body wash because it helps keep my arms and back clear. When it comes to shaving, I try to avoid it for as long as possible. It is seriously the most annoying thing E-V-E-R.

Okay, anyway, I get out of the shower and get dressed. Then I brush my hair and scrunch it so it can be drying while I finish getting ready because I don’t do blow dryers. What and how much make-up I put on depends on my mood and what I’m wearing. I always have on cover-up and mascara because they’re my favorite, but I rarely wear just that. I usually have eyeliner (black, brown, dark blue, light blue, purple, gray, or green) and eye shadow that you can’t really see except for the sparkles but I wear anyway. I have red lipstick that I really like, but don’t ever wear because I feel like it doesn’t look as good as I think it does.

Then I use Infusium-23 to smooth any flyaways, pin my hair back or whatever, put on my jewelry and shoes, grab my purse, and leave for wherever.

When I get back from wherever, I sit on the computer for any number of hours and watch movies and read some and stay up way, way too late. Or if it’s a school night I sit on the computer for any number of hours and watch movies and read some and stay up way, way too late and then do my homework.

Oh, and as of this past week: If it’s a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday night, my best friends and I meet at the track and do this fancy C25K workout. Then we go to Allsup’s for burritos because we’re counterproductive, and go to KaCee’s apartment to talk until, like, three.

Such is my life.

-Maggie

* It really is a space car. It’s all “pearl” and shiny, and everything opens and closes just by pushing a button. We never have to shut a door again! My family has really reached a new level of lazy.

2011-05-30T18:01:00.007-05:00

Love:

Aren texted me just to tell me that Kait blogged.
Kait blogged.
And Shelby's back (basically).
And we're all doing another package swap arranged by the wonderful Amy.
Blogging family for the win.
"You and I" by Lady Gaga
I saw the trailer for One Day and it looks like it's going to be exactly like the book. You do not understand how excited I am. You really don't.
Garage Sale Madness is finally over.
Chris Colfer
I ordered the Harry Potter games for Mac again because they had them in stock and I couldn't help myself. They came in and I am a very happy girl.
FLIIIIIIIIIIIIPENDOOOOO!

Like:

I found the fifth and sixth seasons of That '70s Show at Target for fifteen bucks. HOLLA.
We leave Saturday for a seven-day vacation in San Antonio.
Mamma Mia despite how terribly cheesy it is, and the fact that none of the actors can actually sing.
Thinking about visiting New York.
According to my best friends, I am "one black outline away from being a Looney Tune."
This is probably true.
I realized today that when I move to Lubbock I will not have to share a bathroom with anyone.
"Long Live" by Taylor Swift
We're having pizza tonight. I really like pizza.

Dislike:

It costs quite a bit to go to New York.
I mean, I have the money right now, but I would rather it be something I save up for once I get a job instead of emptying my bank account right before I move. You know?
Going outside.
Nature in general.
Why is it so hot outside?
The pizza is here but it's burnt and disgusting.
I am really upset now.

-Maggie

Questions

2011-05-09T16:08:00.009-05:00

Look at you guys being super great blog friends and giving me a ton of questions! I love you all.

01. If you got to live your life as any animal, which would you choose and why?

My initial thought was a giraffe because they're my favorite animal, not to mention they can jump and fight with their necks, but now that I think about it . . . I still want to be a giraffe. Yeah. Giraffes are cool.

02. Which album has your favorite artwork?

Ah, I feel like a bad person for not just knowing this. I don't buy very many physical CDs anymore, and a lot of my iTunes library doesn't have the artwork with it. Um . . . I loved the pictures and design they used for Adele's 21 booklet. There are better ones, I just can't remember any of them.

03. If you could only be good at one DIY type project, what would you choose?

It would nice to be able to sew even a little bit so I could alter my own clothes.

04. Five songs you would put on the soundtrack to your life.

Oh, this is a hard one. I'm trying to think of songs that are actually applicable to my life right now rather than just my favorites. When I heard "Let the Rain" by Sara Bareilles I actually thought, "If my life were a movie, this would be on the soundtrack." Then the other four would be: "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English/It Sucks To Be Me" from Avenue Q,* the Glee version of "Dancing With Myself," "Do-Wah-Doo" by Kate Nash, and "The Coolest Girl" from A Very Potter Sequel.

05. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it consist of?

So it can be like a really big, multiple course meal? Okay. Honey chipotle chicken crispers, french fries, baked potatoes, bean burritos from Taco Villa, hamburgers from P. Terry's, smoothies, whatever sandwich KaCee had at Jason's Deli the other day, Cheez-Its, Twix, birthday cake ice cream, caramel frappuccinos, and rolls. And mashed potatoes. And butterbeer. And cheese.

06. If you were on the Amazing Race, who would you choose to be on it with?

Melany. We wouldn't win, but I cannot express to you how much fun it would be.

07. What was your favorite toy as a child?

When I was really young, I would dress up all the time as "Princess Iweenie" from The Princess and the Goblin and watch that movie, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King over and over again. I also had my parents read to me a lot, and I remember having a great love for Magna Doodles.

08. Post your favorite photo of yourself.

09. What's your all-time favorite book?

I always just say the Harry Potter series, but my favorite book from the series is the third one, so I guess that's my all-time favorite book. Other than Harry Potter, it would probably have to be . . . well, one of them (that I think everyone should read) is Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs.

10. What three people in space/time/life would you love to have dinner with?

J.K. Rowling, Joey Richter, and Chris Colfer.

11. Who do you speak to most during your day?

Besides myself, Melany. We are so codependent and sad. While I was waiting for her to get back from San Antonio yesterday, I would run to the door every time I heard a noise outside to see if it was her. I don't know what I'm going to do when she gets a boyfriend.**

12. What's your favorite film that you know all the words to?

The Emperor's New Groove–I can literally quote the entire thing.

13. Left- or right-handed?

Right-handed!

14. When you feel sad, what do you do to make yourself feel less sad?

There are some things that I feel I just need to be sad about for a little while, until the feeling leaves on its own. But usually when I'm feeling down, a good jam session makes me feel loads better. I just turn up the music (my go-to get pumped song is currently "Born This Way") and pretend I can actually sing and dance.

15. Who is your favorite Glee character?

It has always been Kurt Hummel. He is too wonderful.

16. If you were a superhero, what would your power be and why?

I would love to be able to read minds because, as Melany pointed out, I love to read everything.

17. If you could either dedicate yourself to make a family member's dream come true or your own, which would you choose?

There are people in my family that deserve it so much more than me. There is one in particular that I thought of immediately that I would love to do that for because I really want them to have something they can be happy and proud about.

18. Chocolate or vanilla?

Vanilla if we're talking ice cream, and chocolate if we're talking frozen yogurt.

-Maggie

* LOL. But really. That will be my life in a few years.

** Sit in my room and eat ice cream and be really depressed and lonely.

A Few Things

2011-05-08T17:33:00.007-05:00

01. Let's take a moment to appreciate how precious my mom is.

This picture always makes me smile when I see it. My mom is pretty much the greatest.

02. I'm almost done with my first year of college. What? That's weird. I am not looking forward to taking the classes required for my major in the next three years. I could cry.

03. The music from Spring Awakening is gorgeous. Go get it now.

04. I lost it when Woody came on.

05. I said in one of my last posts that I had ordered the first two Harry Potter games for Mac using an Amazon gift certificate that my aunt had sent me, but, sadly, I will not be getting those. I was sent the wrong game and when I contacted the sellers about sending it back, they just credited the money back to my account and didn't say anything about it. Then I went to order them again and they were sold out and the price had nearly doubled. Needless to say, I was infuriated.

06. BUT I did use the gift certificate for many wonderful musical things: Starship CD, Avenue Q CD, Spring Awakening CD, and Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway.

07.

08. I want to do a question post like Amy just did. Well, I will do one if people actually leave questions like they did for Amy. Who wants to help me out?!

-Maggie

Belated.

2011-05-03T20:09:00.006-05:00

(To preface this post: I started writing this a week ago. Pretend it's April 26th for the duration of this post.)

Shelby told me to blog, so here I am because, as Amy said, when Shelby tells you to blog, you blog. I was actually supposed to blog, like, a week ago, so I'm probably in trouble. Oops. Sometimes it is very hard for me to finish a blog because there are so many things I want to be doing at one time, so I end up starting a million different things and never finishing any of them. It gets annoying.

Today was Ranch Day on campus. Classes were cancelled, and there were events like chili cook-offs and steer wrestling and other very southern things. There was even a concert tonight with some Texas country band (which has more twang than a regular country band). I didn't go because I don't socialize. Instead, I used today for sleeping and counting down the minutes until Glee started.*

This past weekend my family and I went to Lubbock for Easter and a special dedication for my uncle. Overall, it was wonderful. Have some pictures.

I went to Hastings and Barnes & Noble with Andrew and Abby one day, and when we got back I announced proudly that I had refrained from buying anything. Then a few hours later I went to Target and bought the first season of Modern Family, the second and third seasons of Sex and the City, and Mrs. Doubtfire.**

And now a story:

"When I asked him about it, it wasn't just no. It was hell no," my mom said to the room.

"Kristy, I already told you why. If something were to happen to me and you took them, you wouldn't love them the way Vicky would," Uncle Kim said. He has three huge dogs–Sam, Jaxter, and Liza. They're his kids. "They're accustomed to being inside and sleeping on the bed, and you wouldn't let them do that."

"I know what he's saying," Aunt Pam said. "Like, if something were to happen to Mark and I, I wouldn't leave the kids to Kim because I know he wouldn't love them the right way."

"And I wouldn't want them," Kim said matter-of-factly.

"Kim, you would take them if there was no one else," my grandmother said giving him a reproachful look.

"Well, yes. Of course, I would take them if there was no one else. But I wouldn't want them because I know that–"

"You wouldn't love them or let them stay in the house or sleep on the bed," my mom interrupted.

"Exactly!"

-Maggie

P.S. Yes, Natalie, I actually had a bowl cut. But it wasn't fantastic. I would show you a picture, but I had all the evidence burned years ago.

P.P.S. Sam friend-requested me on Facebook. Does that mean I'm cool now?

* I regret nothing.

** All on a super sale, I'll have you know.

Fangirling: Part II

2011-05-03T00:22:00.002-05:00

We're not creepy. I mean, maybe Keren, but certainly not me. Not at all.

-Maggie

How To Be Alone

2011-05-02T02:43:00.002-05:00

I was going to save this for my next "A Few Things," but decided you all needed to see this now. It's wonderful.

-Maggie

2011-05-01T22:32:00.004-05:00

This is one of those moments that you will remember exactly where you were when you heard the news. I was lying in my bed watching Starship, switching back and forth between Tumblr and Twitter.

I saw it first on Tumblr* that the president was to make a statement. I was mildly curious because it was so late, but not enough to actually watch it. Then on Twitter** I saw that lesser-known StarKid Pomme Koch had said that there were rumors of Osama bin Laden's death. I didn't really think anything of it, for some reason. Merely went back to watching Starship.

Then my mom walked in with the phone pressed to her ear and said, "Maggie, bin Laden's dead." I replied that I already knew. "I can't believe it. Ten years later and we finally got him." She shook her head and walked out.

After that, I sat up and began to realize the magnitude of the situation. This is a big deal.

I'm feeling many emotions right now. Relieved that he had finally been caught. Happy for those who lost friends and family who I'm sure are feeling some closure now. Thankful for the men and women of our military. Worried about what could happen next. Confused by all of the thoughts bouncing around in my head.

This is a big deal.

-Maggie

* Naturally. Tumblr knows everything before anyone else does.

** Social networking sites for the win!

2011-04-27T17:27:00.003-05:00

GUYS, I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW.

Tag, you're it.

2011-04-18T02:27:00.006-05:00

The super great Amy tagged me, and since I like filling surveys out/talking about myself, I am obliging.

01. What did you do ten years ago?

I was nine then, and I'm sure I was trying to recover from the trauma of having a bowl cut. Also, being the most awesome goalie Kolby's team had ever had, and choreographing dances to B*Witched and Aaron Carter with Kaitlyn.

02. What did you do one year ago?

One year ago I was having the best senior year ever. I had just gone to prom, and my dual credit English class was almost finished. Life was good.

03. Five snacks that you like?

Smoothies are the best snack ever, but I rarely ever have access to them. I also like animal crackers, chips and salsa, coffee (hey, that counts), and Twix. You know, all of the unhealthy stuff.

04. Five songs which you know the whole lyrics to?

I know the lyrics to many, many songs; once you learn them, they really don't go away. So I will do what Amy did and list the ones that have been stuck in my head recently: "Generator (First Floor)" by Freelance Whales, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" by Panic! at the Disco, "Skin and Bones" by Charlene Kaye featuring Darren Criss, "Gettin' Along" by Team StarKid, and "Rumour Has It" by Adele.

05. Five things you would do if you were a millionaire?

Pay off my college, give my parents a large chunk of money, go to New York and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, donate to cancer and AIDS foundations regularly, and in a few years use it to deck out my apartment in Austin.

06. Five bad habits?

Procrastinating (oh hey, I'm doing that now), staying up too late on school nights, not eating healthy, not shaving (IT'S REALLY ANNOYING, OKAY?), and getting annoyed very easily.

07. Five things you like to do?

Read, write, stay up late, play volleyball, and drink coffee.

08. Five things you would never dress in or buy?

The gaudy, huge jewelry that everyone else in Texas wears, turtlenecks,* kitten heels (or flip-flop heels or strappy heels),** real or faux fur, and polo shirts.

09. Five favorite toys?

Charlie the MacBook Pro, Jacques II the iPhone, Chuck the camera, Ollie the camcorder, and books in general.***

10. Five people you'd like to see taking this quiz?

Melany, Husmann, Julia, Ash, and Britny.

-Maggie

* Why are the sleeves always so stupid on turtlenecks?

** I'm really particular about my heels.

*** I have a lot of electronics, and I like to name things. In case you couldn't tell.

WHOOP.

2011-04-15T23:24:00.001-05:00

-Maggie

A Few Things

2011-04-14T12:18:00.013-05:00

01. It has come to my attention that some people* think I am a "bad kid" even though I have given them no reason to think so. While you will choose to believe what you want, I just wanted to assert that the most rebellious thing I have ever done is sing along to "What the Hell" by Avril Lavigne.

02. My aunt and uncle gave me an Amazon gift certificate for my birthday, and I used it to buy the first two Harry Potter games for Mac. Needless to say, I am psyched for them to get here. It probably wasn't the best idea to get them right before finals, but it is too late to worry about that now.

03.

04. Go buy Jack Johnson's En Concert CD. Just do it. You don't realize how much you love him until you've heard "Belle/Banana Pancakes" live in Paris.

05. I know this is kind of long, but watch the whole thing because HOLY CRAP.

06. "My unfulfilled ambition is to write a great novel in three parts about my adventures."

"What adventures?"

"I have yet to have them. But they will be perfectly thrilling!"

07. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I comes out on DVD tomorrow. Also, the longest Glee hiatus of my life will be over come Tuesday. AND Starship will finally be up on the thirtieth! April is a good month.

-Maggie

* Also known as my family.

Long time no see.

2011-04-06T23:51:00.008-05:00

So it has been a month since I have properly blogged. Oops. But I do have some stories to share with you to make up for it. We'll just go chronologically.

Spring Break was a couple of weeks ago, and it was wonderful. None of you probably remember, but I mentioned in this post a plan that I couldn't tell you about yet, but now I can because it already happened!

The last week of January, KaCee and I were sitting in Dairy Queen trying to think up something we could do for Spring Break. The four of us had talked before about taking a trip to Dallas/Fort Worth, and going shopping, to the zoo, etc., and KaCee and I decided we should try to do it during the break so that way it could also be for Husmann's birthday (which was at the end of the week). And then I had this thought: What if we didn't tell Husmann? It was from that that we devised a marvelous surprise birthday trip. We woke her up at eight Wednesday morning, gave her time to get ready and pack, and then we were off! It was pretty exciting.

Here's a video to sum everything up:

In other news, the other day I bought a box of cinnamon Teddy Grahams at the store. I opened up the box, popped one in my mouth, and spit it out because something was VERY WRONG. I can't even explain the taste properly, but it tasted like the box smelt which was VILE. I looked at the expiration date and they expired JUNE OF LAST YEAR. Why were they still on the shelves nine-and-a-half months after the fact? I DON'T KNOW. I got my $3.09 back the next day and they apologized and I said it was okay. But I really wanted to say, "IT'S NOT OKAY. I CAN NEVER EAT TEDDY GRAHAMS AGAIN, AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT. MONEY CAN'T BUY THAT BACK."

I did ride my bike down the store to take them back though, so that was nice. Even though riding into the wind on the way back was painful.

The day after that I went to Wal-Mart with the intent of buying groceries for my room so I will stop going to Sonic for every meal, and instead left with the April issues of Vogue and Elle, an iTunes card, Seventeen Again, and a huge bag of animal crackers. Priorities: I have them.

Also, I have started to substitute meals with bowls of animal crackers. Is it healthy? Probably not. Is it delicious? Duh.

I received the traveling journal last Tuesday and have spent the days since then trying to figure out exactly what I want to put on my three pages. They are almost finished now though, and by "almost finished" I mean I have sort of know what I'm going to put on them.

This weekend, Britny and I are meeting Melany in Austin for a few days of complete awesome. I am pretty stoked. There will be pictures and such to come soon, I am sure.

There were more interesting things I had to say, but, naturally, I have forgotten them. Time for bed, I think.

-Maggie

Fangirling

2011-03-29T23:33:00.003-05:00

Keren: By the way, I'm writing the book to be a musical, and when it's done, I'm finding a way to get Darren to read it. Then he'll write all the songs and costar with me, and we'll fall in love. And then introduce you to Joey Richter, and life will be complete. Sigh.

Maggie: YOU ARE THE BEST SISTER EVER.

Keren: I know, right? I've decided also, since we'll be rich, that we'll have homes in Austin, NYC, AND San Francisco. And we'll hire surrogate mothers since Darren and Joey will make cute babies. (We just don't need to carry them!)

Maggie: Cute AND talented babies! With great hair and crooked jaws! EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLAN CAN EASILY BE ACCOMPLISHED.

Keren: I know. It's gonna be awesome.

-Maggie

P.S. A proper post is coming soon. Tomorrow, perhaps.

HP FTW.

2011-03-04T03:48:00.004-06:00

IT'S NEARLY FOUR IN THE MORNING AND I JUST HAVE A LOT OF ENERGY RIGHT NOW AND DON'T WANT TO GO TO SLEEP OR TURN OFF THE CAPS LOCK. SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK.

I'm listening to Stephen Fry read me the third Harry Potter book, and it's just so good. Bless the person that uploaded the audiobooks to YouTube.

I remember the first time I read this book and wondering how in the world Hermione was getting to all of her classes, and flipping out when the Fat Lady went missing and Peeves said, "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black." And how quickly Sirius went from a character I hated to one of my favorites. Then there's McGonagall during the Christmas meal (which I just realized is about to happen and may have done a little dance), and Lee Jordan commentating at the Slytherin match. AND THEN WHEN LUPIN–OH MY GOSH. They'd all just figured out what really happened with Sirius and Peter Pettigrew and all that, and Lupin says, "You should have realized if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter." Seriously, one of the best lines ever–can't believe it wasn't used in the movie.

I really need to calm down. And go to bed. I get so JAZZED about things and JUST CAN'T CONTAIN MYSELF.

-Maggie

Retrouvailles

2011-03-01T22:00:00.004-06:00

On Friday, my best friends made their way home so we could celebrate Melany's birthday (two weeks late, but ah well). We dressed up and went to eat at Bonsai's where Melany got to bang the birthday gong and free cheesecake. After that we went bowling at Primetime where everything is blue and overpriced, and they play the music very loudly. "Party in the USA" came on at one point and I lost all of my inhibitions, nodding my head like yeah and moving my hips like yeah. We paid for two hours and I think we managed to get two-and-a-half games in during that time. I won overall. And got eight strikes. No big deal.

The four of us love how close we are, but it's probably not the healthiest of relationships. Since we already have great friends we don't have any desire to try to make new ones even though we all go to different schools. (We also don't really remember how to make friends.) Basically, our friendship is a social crutch. Here's an example of how sad we are:

Husmann: I miss having friends, and eating lunch together every day and stuff.

Maggie: I miss laughing a lot.

Melany: Me too! And smiling!

The next night, Melany came over and we made butterbeer, which is so delicious you cannot even fully comprehend. We were supposed to take some to KaCee and Jacob, who had to work, and Levi and Husmann, but everyone ended up at my house somehow. We just sat in my room, told stories, laughed, and drank butterbeer. The nights when nothing is planned and you just stay in always end up being the very best.

On Sunday I took Schnookums to the emergency clinic in Abilene because she had been acting odd since Thursday night–walking slowly, yelping when I picked her up, not coming when anyone called her. Talking about it here, it sounds like I was calm and it wasn't that big of a deal, but I was actually having a mental breakdown because I MEAN LOOK AT HER. She's okay though; the vet said that she hurt muscles in her neck and back. They gave her a shot before we left and she has to take three different medicines that may cause drowsiness, so she can't operate heavy machinery for the next few days.

While I have been home on the weekends, I've been rereading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and while at school I've been listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban because some wonderful person uploaded all of the audio books to YouTube. This is why I love the Internet.

In other news, these are the kind of things that I think about:

Maybe my pen name should be M.K. Shirley, so when people see my books their subconscious will relate me to the similarly initialed J.K. Rowling and, by extension, being awesome and magical. They will be compelled to buy my book and . . . be disappointed because I'm not awesome and magical like J.K. Rowling. But that won't matter because they'll have already fallen into my trap. (Evil plans, I love making evil plans.)

Good night.

-Maggie

A Few Things

2011-02-16T19:54:00.005-06:00

01. I decided about five minutes ago that if I can stick to my work-out plan for the next few weeks leading up to Spring Break, then I will reward myself with a dress from ModCloth. Maybe this one or this one. Most likely this one though since it has sequins and bows, and I love love love long-sleeved mini dresses.

02. I was single for Valentine's Day, as per usual, but that's okay because I got to iChat with Keren and Melany for a little while, and laughed really hard with Jenny and Kaitlin. Also, Darren Criss was on the cover of another magazine and so those pictures were nice.

Happy Valentine's Day to meee.

03. I had a dream that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II was coming out tomorrow, and I was running around my house like a lunatic because I was going to the midnight release. Then I woke up and realized it was only February, and that I only had thirty minutes to get ready for my least favorite class.

04. GLEE NEXT WEEK IS GOING TO BE HILARIOUS. I JUST. I CAN'T.

05. Friday was the opening night of Starship and I was not in Chicago. With each Tweet and picture with a cast member I saw, I sank deeper into a black hole of depression. Then, two days later, a rope of hopes and dreams was tossed down to me and I began to climb out of the hole. Everything was getting better. Then my mom severed the rope with a sharp NO, and I fell to the bottom again and an avalanche of rocks and sorrows followed me down.

06. Stop judging me. You'd be depressed too if you were missing this adorable man and his adorable crooked jaw.

ADORABLE.

07. Not this coming weekend but the next, my best friends will all be home and we're going to celebrate Melany's birthday (only two weeks late)! We're going to dress up all fancy, eat at Bonsai, see No Strings Attached, and go bowling. And then after that it's only two weeks until Spring Break! YIPEE!

-Maggie

So kooky, man.

2011-02-13T00:47:00.009-06:00

I feel really happy right now, and I'm not sure why that's so. Maybe it's because of a plan that's slowly coming together that I can't tell you about just yet. Maybe it's because I finally picked up the Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair, which would be wonderful even if it was just the cover.

Maybe it's because I also bought a new dress from Target. And "Kiss Me Coral" lipstick, which I wasn't sure of when I first put it on, but am now certain I love it. It makes me feel girly (or more so), and I like that.

Maybe this is the reason.

It could also be that I am jamming out to a playlist of Glee and Team Starkid, like I have every other night this week. No, really. Every night before I went to bed, I had a dance party with myself.* Usually starting with "Firework", a song that, if we're being honest, I loved before Glee did it. There, I admitted it. I like "Firework" by Katy Perry. If you can get past the lyrics about plastic bags, you'll realize that it's just a REALLY CATCHY SONG.

Maybe I'm happy because tomorrow I'm going on a bike ride with KaCee and we're going to take pictures and be best friends.

Right now I am drinking what's left of the nonfat white chocolate mocha with whip that I got earlier tonight, and it's cold, which is when it's the best–maybe that's it.

Maybe it's because life, in general, is awesome, like, ninety-eight percent of the time. I am blessed.

-Maggie

* On the floor of Tokyo-oh or down in London town to go-oh.

Because you walk pretty, because you talk pretty.

2011-02-04T22:02:00.005-06:00

Before we get started here, why don't you open up your iTunes real quick and download Amos Lee's new album Mission Bell. Don't ask questions, just do it. Go on.

Okay, now that that's taken care of–back to business.

So there is this massive snowstorm making its way through the United States at the moment, and a few days ago it hit the area of Texas I reside in. When it snows or ices in Texas it usually guarantees one day off from school and maybe a late start the day after, if you're lucky. That was not the case for this storm.

One of my fifteen alarms woke me up Tuesday morning and I looked out the window to see that everything was white. I jumped out of bed (literally), checked to make sure school was cancelled, and jumped back into bed (literally). Later on my roommate and her friend came in all bundled up, cheeks flushed and said, "You have to go outside. It's so much fun."

I like snow as much as the next person, but only when it's on the ground or, you know, gently falling. Not so much when the wind is picking it up and throwing it in your face. I looked out the window to see that the latter was happening and turned back to her. "I'm good."

As they were leaving, she asked, "You don't want to go outside?"

"Not even a little bit."

School was cancelled on Wednesday too, which I was pretty psyched about because I felt like staying up late Tuesday night. Then school was cancelled Thursday, and that was okay–at least at the beginning–because I really hate American Literature. But Thursday night the school's website said that classes would be cancelled for Friday and Saturday too. My first thought after seeing this was, "They have class on Saturdays?" My second was, "I'M GOING TO BE TRAPPED IN CISCO FOREVER."

I was sore from sitting on my bed for seventy-two hours. I was running out of food. I forgot what nature was like. I had only been out of my dorm room one time, and that was to get a Twix from the vending machine (and they didn't even have any Twix). And I just really wanted some french fries more than anything.

Needless to say, I had a mental breakdown. I may have cried a little bit.

But when I woke up Friday morning (afternoon), the snow and ice had melted off the roads. I didn't even change out of my pajamas. I just packed my bag, got in my car, went to Sonic for french fries, and drove home. It was one of the more exciting times in my life, which is saying something because, as we've discussed, I get SUPER JAZZED about everything.

It's supposed to snow and ice again on Tuesday night though. I may not make it through.

-Maggie

2011-01-27T00:15:00.012-06:00

Something I Find Annoying: During your senior year of high school, you go crazy applying for colleges and worrying about getting admitted to your first choice or at all. Then you finally get your acceptance letter and let out a huge sigh of relief, but then they're like, "Oh, now you have to apply for a college within a college. It's like Inception, but with education."

Something I Find Exciting: Darren Criss will be making his first talk show appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this coming Wednesday. HOW GREAT.

Another Thing I Find Exciting: Next Sunday is GLEE SUNDAY (lesser known as Super Bowl Sunday), and then another new episode shows on Tuesday in which Darren Criss will be singing "Silly Love Songs" and I will be swooning perpetually. Saying that I am COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY 100% PSYCHED is an understatement.

One More Thing I Find Exciting: The release of Starship is getting closer and closer, and the cast is talking about it on Twitter constantly. It's going to be epic like every other musical they've ever done–all of which I've rewatched recently. What can I say? I've been on a Team Starkid kick lately.*

Wait–This is Exciting Too: I ordered this and this and these online yesterday.

Something I Find Hilarious:

This may or may not be my new theme song. It's just way too catchy.

Something I Realized Recently: In my last blog, I spoke of how one of my go-to emotions was overt enthusiasm and I am going to expand on that. I am enthusiastic about a lot of things. When I like something, I love it–most of the time reaching some level of what people generally refer to as "obsession". Because of this, when people are not as jazzed about something as I am, it frustrates me, but Melany helped me realize that it isn't their fault. It's not that everyone else isn't jazzed, it's that I am a very excitable person and am, therefore, jazzed enough for everyone in the room. Thank you, Melany. Now I can stop yelling at ~~you~~ people.

-Maggie

* Okay, okay–I'm never not on a Team Starkid kick.

KITTENS SITTING IN BOXES WEARING SCARVES

2011-01-24T17:08:00.004-06:00

Classes started back on Tuesday, and I waited until Monday evening to move back in the dorm because why be in Cisco longer than I have to? I somehow came back to the dorm with three times more than I left with, but I'm not really surprised because, I mean, it's me. I had planned to put everything away when I got there, but the first season of Glee plus my general lack of will power equaled me getting next to nothing done that night. Or the next three nights. So I still have a suitcase stuffed with clothing sitting on the floor. I'll get to it eventually.

This semester I am NOT in theater, which gives me the greatest happiness I have ever known. I'm taking American Literature, Art Appreciation, BCIS*, Texas Government, and U.S. History. If I figured everything correctly, then after this semester I should be finished with all of my basics, which is great because then when I go to Tech, my focus will be completely on classes for my major.

Another thing that makes this semester better than the last: The Internet actually works now. One of my teachers said that they updated the server from a 1.5 to, like, a 10.1. I really have no idea what that means, but I do know that 10.1 is a great deal higher than 1.5 and the Internet is better now, so obviously it worked.

On Friday night, my family and I went to Abilene to see The Green Hornet, which I loved and knew I was going to love after the first ten minutes of the movie. I recommend it, especially if you appreciate a good superhero movie as much as I do.

The rest of the night would have gone swimmingly if we hadn't fought as we were getting out drinks at dinner. In retrospect, things probably would have cleared up a lot sooner if I had the ability to let go of my anger, but that is something I have yet to do.

I don't know what it is, but I cannot, especially when it comes to my family, be that person that argues one minute and is over it the next. No matter how large or small the argument is. It's a quality I wish I had, but also one I find exceedingly annoying other people. I like to sit and fume and let my anger slowly ebb, usually with the help of some very mellow music, and when whoever I've argued with is happy or tries to make me happy again, it makes me want to kill them.

My three go-to emotions are anger, annoyance, and overt enthusiasm. It's something I need to work on. I'll get to it eventually.

-Maggie

* It is ridiculous that this is a required class. I know there are some people my age that do not know how to use a computer outside of the Internet and some older people that don't know how to use it at all, and I understand that it is important for those people to learn, but I am DEFINITELY NOT one of those people. Not only is it a complete waste of time, but it is also a complete waste of money, as I have to buy two books and some code thing that, by itself, is one hundred dollars. RAGE. [Insert obligatory AVPS reference here]

A Few Things

2011-01-09T23:35:00.007-06:00

01. I drove to Lubbock by myself on Tuesday and planned to leave Friday, but then I decided I would leave today after church. Then I felt annoyed that I would have to jet right after lunch, and so I said I would leave Monday. And now I'm not leaving until after lunch on Tuesday. I'm running out of clothes.

02. The more I listen to the Glee version of "Empire State of Mind", the more I want to move to New York.

03. The more I listen to "Lights" by Journey, the more I want to move to San Francisco and marry Darren Criss and go to Giants games with him. I mean . . . what?

04.

05. My freshman year, I saw this Gap commercial that used Audrey Hepburn to advertise black skinny jeans and knew that I needed them so I could dance around and love life like her. They are still my favorite pair of jeans even though I haven't fit in them for three years and probably never will again. I have decided that Gap should put those exact jeans out again so I can buy them in several different sizes so that no matter if I get smaller or stay the same I can still wear them all the time.

06. "It is very sad to me that some people are so intent on leaving their mark on the world that they don't care if that mark is a scar."

–John Green on the Tucson shooting

07.

My friends and I MUST make an EPIC SLIP 'N' SLIDE this summer. I don't know where we'll do it, how we'll get the supplies, or other important things, but it is going to happen. I will actually willingly and happily put on a swimsuit if this happens.

-Maggie

The first time she saw him, she flipped.

2011-01-03T03:46:00.007-06:00

When I used to scour the high school library in search of an interesting book, I almost always came across the same small book with a tiny upside-down chick on the front. For whatever reason, I didn't check it out until I found it for probably the fifteenth time, but at least I finally read it because–oh my gosh–Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen is wonderful.

After I had returned the book to the library, I began to look for it every time I went into a book store. I searched for years–literally, years–with no avail, until one day in Hastings I thought, Wait. The book is about two eighth graders. Is there a chance that it might be in the children's section? I looked over to the area decorated in pastels and large pictures of Winnie the Pooh and Mr. Toad. Surely not.

But, of course, it was.

I had spent the last three years looking for the book in the wrong section of the bookstore. (You know, there really should be, like, a middle school section of bookstores so other people won't have to go through what I went through. Or else they shouldn't make the children's section look so kiddy. It leads people to believe that the place is exclusively filled picture books and Junie B. Jones. I'm just saying.)

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that one day I found out they were making a movie based on the book and freaked out. Then I forgot about it. Then I saw a preview for it while standing in line at Hastings and freaked out again.

The preview looked really great, but I was nervous because what if it wasn't great?! I mean, the movie needed to be because the book was just. So. Good. I finally bought it a few days ago–the verdict?

Marvelous.

The movie was made exactly how it should have been, and the actors fit their parts perfectly–not to mention that Bryce is a little cutie. I was watching it by myself in my room and kept saying "This is so cute!" and "Oh, this is just wonderful," aloud. I couldn't help it.

So, if you couldn't gather from this post of gushing, I think that you should go read the book (remember–children's section) then you should go watch the movie because they made me so happy that I had to write an entire post about them at four in the morning.

"Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. But every once in awhile, you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare."

-Maggie

2010

2010-12-31T23:40:00.006-06:00

01. A Few Things You Won't Forget From 2010

I graduated high school, started college, lost someone very important to me, tried something completely new, regretted it immediately, learned a few things about myself, and became even closer to my family and best friends.

02. Relationships

Single all year. There was one time when there was almost something, but then the Universe was like, "LOL JK. He likes this other girl and is just going to stop talking to you." Then I realized that being left for another girl is becoming a recurring theme in my love life, and that's extremely discouraging.

03. The Best Day

There were a ton of totally awesome days this year, but none of them stick out clearly as the very best day, so there isn't a definite answer for this one.

04. The Worst Day

The first time I saw Uncle David after Hospice had been called in.

05. The Most Memorable Moments

The one mentioned above, my graduation, Scream Team, meeting John Green, seeing Vanessa at David's viewing, weekend at Tackett's Dream, etc.

06. Your Friends

During the last semester of my senior year and the summer, the whole big group hung out as much as possible–more than the rest of high school combined, and it was wonderful. College, of course, pulled us all apart, but I still talked to Melany, Husmann, KaCee, and Mary frequently. They're wonderful and lovely. We realize that staying BFFL won't be easy, but we're willing to do the work.

07. Your Birthday

The day before my birthday, Melany and I drove to Austin and stayed with her brother. The next day, we went to the Will Grayson, Will Grayson event and met John Green and David Levithan. Afterwards her brother took us to the best burger joint ever. It was a fantastic day.

08. The Most Fun Getaway

The Mystical Road Trip of Magic and Wonder. Hands down.

09. End of Last School Year and the Beginning of This One

The end of last school year was the end of my last high school one, so it was awesome and sad all at the same time. There were a lot of fun things I got to do since I was a senior, not to mention a lot of cool stuff that I was given. The beginning of this one was weird because I lived in the dorm, didn't have my friends with me, and was doing theater, but it was okay. I'm so, so incredibly happy that I won't be doing theater this coming semester though.

10. New Year's Resolutions

To keep the promises I make myself, just like the Dove chocolate wrapper I used to have in my wallet said.

-Maggie

You'll shoot your eye out.

2010-12-24T20:05:00.004-06:00

GUYS. SANTA IS COMING TONIGHT. GUYS.

We're watching A Christmas Story for the first time this year, and will probably see the movie in its entirety at least four more times before this twenty-four hours is up. I'm ready for it to be, like, ten or eleven so we can go to bed because I'm tired and, you know, Santa's coming.

Target carries these cookies every year at Christmas, and they are pretty much the best things ever. Last year I ate an entire box by myself. To be honest, I'm not proud of it. (To be even more honest, I am.)

Anyway, this year every time I went to Target I was tempted to buy every box they had in stock, but I resisted. But then my mom brought a box home, so any strength I had left to refrain from eating these cookies is now gone.

And these are my Christmas pjs for the year! My parents got me shorts this year because I'm almost positive I have early onset menopause and, therefore, have seemingly perpetual hot flashes.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow! Merry Christmas!

-Maggie

THREE MORE SLEEPS 'TIL CHRISTMAS.

2010-12-22T13:29:00.006-06:00

Earlier this week I was like, "Wow, I can't believe Christmas is this Saturday! It doesn't even feel like it's Christmastime yet . . . probably because it's eighty degrees outside. Stupid Texas."

And then when I woke up this morning (which, okay, was really just thirty minutes ago, so it wasn't morning at all. Sue me, it's Christmas break) I was like, "I can't believe it's only Wednesday. We still have three more sleeps until Christmas. WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?"

Sometimes I'm impatient.

There are two bits of good news to this though: 1) I checked the forecast and the high is supposed to be 49º on Saturday, so it will be a bit chilly on Christmas! and 2) I just thought of a slew of things I can do for these next three days.

Things I Can Do to Preoccupy Myself Until Christmas

01. Listen to "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Darren Criss & Chris Colfer and little Billy Gilman's Classic Christmas on loop.

02. Clean out my closet, which has descended into chaos since I don't use it for my clothes anymore, and have just been throwing things in there to get them out of the way. As terrible as cleaning out a closet sounds, the OCD part of me (which is a large part) is way excited about it.

03. Watch Doctor Who.

04. Finish reading Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs so I can read Keren's manuscript and the book she lent me before she gets here on the twenty-eighth.

05. Work on the story I randomly started a few days ago.

06. Play videogames that I've had for years but have never completed. Not to brag, but I've already beaten Scooby-Doo! Night of a 100 Frights and The Simpson's Hit & Run.

07. Watch all of my favorite Christmas movies (and some others). The Muppet's Christmas Carol, Love Actually, Elf, and, of course, twenty-four hours of A Christmas Story.

08. Textbook like a fool.

Hopefully that will be enough.

-Maggie

A Few Things

2010-12-09T21:36:00.007-06:00

01. After tomorrow morning, I will be finished with my first semester of college, which is weird and crazy, but feels insignificant. Most likely because it's Cisco and I have come home or gone elsewhere every weekend except for the first, so it doesn't really feel like I'm in college.

02. This picture adequately describes my life.

03. I just finished the first season of Doctor Who (not the first first, obviously, but the first of the new series), and I have two things to say. No, three: 1) It is wonderful, and I am glad that I finally took the time to find and watch it, 2) Although I liked Christopher Eccleston, I am way beyond psyched that I get to see David Tennant as the Doctor now because, frankly, he's adorable, and 3) It's really, really wonderful.

04. We're watching Spider-Man 2 right now, and I want the dress that Mary Jane is wearing in the diner scene. You know, the scene when a car comes flying through the window and MJ is taken. Again. Also, the more movies I watch with Kirsten Dunst, the more my belief that Keren and Kirsten are long lost sisters (or cousins, at the very least) is solidified.

05. If I could look like anyone in the world, it would be Emma Watson. She cut all of her hair off and it still the most beautiful person ever. I'm jealous.

06. KaCee and I planned a Christmas party with our friends next Wednesday, and it's going to be the legen–wait for it–* KaCee and I going to deck her apartment out in tinsel, lights, and bows, and make a lot of cookies. Everyone will wear their pajamas and play The Game of Things, which, knowing my friends, will be hilarious.

07. I'm currently arguing with myself because the smart part of me says I should study and go to sleep because I have to drive to Cisco in the morning, and the stupid (but awesome) part of me says that I should study and watch Doctor Who because, I mean, David Tennant.

-Maggie

*dary.

The Shirleys and the Mysterious Ringing Noise

2010-12-05T22:21:00.006-06:00

I was working on a blog, about to turn on some Doctor Who when my mom walked into my room.

"Maggie, is there something ringing in here?" she asked. I shook my head. "Okay, well, I need you to come in here then."

"Why?" I set my computer aside and crawled off my bed.

"Because Dad and I keep hearing this ringing sound and we don't know where it's coming from, and you have to help us find it!" I followed my mom into her closet where my dad was standing, listening intently. "Did you find it?" she asked him.

"SSSH!" my dad waved his hand at us and turned back around.

"I don't hear it now," Mom said walking out of the closet.

My dad huffed and gave my mom a look. Then we heard a phone ringing and froze. Brrring. The next few minutes were spent walking slowly around my parents room in silent confusion trying to find the origin of the noise.

Brrring.

"Why does it sound like it's coming from everywhere?!" I exclaimed.

"I can hear someone talking after it. Is it the computer?" Dad asked.

"No, it's not the computer," Mom answered. Then they argued about whether or not it was coming from the computer (it wasn't), and she said, "Is it coming from upstairs?"

The three of us looked up. Brrring.

"Why do I feel like we're in a horror movie all of the sudden?" I asked nervously.

"Go open the attic, Troy."

"NO!" I squeaked. I was genuinely afraid; nobody ever thinks they're going to be the victim of some psycho, and the call was coming from inside the house. If there was something in the attic ringing and talking, I wanted it to stay there.

Despite my protests, they opened the attic and my dad climbed the ladder. I tentatively followed him up and looked around at the piles of unwanted toys, clothes that no longer fit, and boxes from various electronics. I couldn't see what my dad was looking at, but he soon walked back towards the ladder and we both climbed down.

"Did you find it?" Mom asked.

"Yes," he sighed.

"What was it?"

"I had a great time at the sleepover, Barbie!" he said in a high-pitched, girly voice.

My little sister's old Barbie phone. Seriously?

-Maggie

He is rough and ready with his pals but he is suave with ladies.

2010-12-05T20:02:00.008-06:00

Even though it's already December and Thanksgiving was almost two weeks ago, I still hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Or, you know, a wonderful Thursday if you're not from the United States. Mine was wonderful.

I didn't have class the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving, so after our Austin trip (which I will tell you about shortly), I went home. My mom, siblings, and I had Thanksgiving with my dad on Wednesday night since he couldn't come with us to Lubbock the next day, and then I went with Melany and Husmann to harass KaCee at Dairy Queen. We ended up not harassing her though because she looked so sleepy and cute in her little DQ uniform. Not to mention she was actually happy to see us (unlike Melany, who hated us when she worked at Dairy Queen and was not thankful for her good friends that came to visit her frequently). After KaCee got off work, we hung out at her and Jacob's apartment, and it was nice and felt like we hadn't seen each other in ages even though we'd just spent the weekend together.

Then on Thursday my family and I left for Lubbock and had Thanksgiving again except this time with more desserts. We stayed until Sunday, and it was a great feeling on Friday to realize it was only Friday and we still had two more days to be with everyone. There was much card playing and talking and a little bit of shopping (I resisted buying clothes, but did get a few Christmas presents, and two seasons of Sex and the City AND the second movie for TEN BUCKS EACH) and Sugar Brown's with Julia and round two of Harry Potter with Andrew. The four day visit was wonderful overall, but made it that much harder to leave.

Now. Time for a bit about the super awesome fabulous wonderful Austin trip (even though that was, like, two weeks ago. It takes me too long to blog things). I feel the best way to tell you about all this is by using many pictures, so here we go.

Once everyone had arrived at Mary's apartment, which was quite an ordeal in itself, we left for the theater (above is me showing my excitement). In short, Harry Potter was wonderful. There were, as always, things that I was upset they left out or scenes that weren't what I expected, but overall it was just a truly fantastic, beautiful, awesome movie. I was very pleased.

After the movie, we ate at Magnolia's, a restaurant that is famous for its pancakes. I passed on the pancakes because they frustrate me,* and ordered an omelette instead. We talked and laughed a lot, partly because we are hilarious and partly because it was two in the morning. Then Mary took us to this little hill with a perfect view of the lights in downtown Austin where I took many pictures and people danced and we laughed some more.

By the time we got back to Mary's, it was definitely time for bed. The sleeping arrangements were everyone on the living room floor except for Mary and myself because we called dibs on the bed. It made for a really funny picture in the morning.

For some reason, everyone woke up way too early (okay, it was ten) the next morning and then no one could go back to sleep, so we got ready for the day instead. We went to this coffee shop run by some of Mary's friends called Summermoon where everything was made with unicorn milk, or so they say. We went to Half Price Books after and spent awhile look at the old books they had and how expensive they were, and then it was time for CHIPOTLE.

We went to meet Mary's adorable little sister after we were well fed. We talked with her dad and stepmom, took some group pictures, and a lot of Anabelle because, I mean, look at her. She's adorable.

From there, we left for downtown Austin to walk through all of the shops. The best one by far was an antique shop called Uncommon Objects. We spent hours in there looking at all of the knick knacks they had, most of which were really cool. Some were weird though. Like the braided human hair that only cost $32.

After a sufficient amount of complaints about aching feet and empty stomachs, we decided to head back to the cars, but were stopped by a street musician with greasy hair and an Australian accent that claimed he knew the secret of life. I would have kept going, but Colt seemed intrigued, and so we listened to the man's song and I clutched Colt's arm because the man stared at me the whole time.

We ate at Chuy's, which had burritos "as big as yo' face" and a lot of pictures of Elvis. While we waited for a table, we gorged ourselves with chips and salsa and wondered how on earth it was only seven when we were already so tired. We were finally seated, the food was delish, and then we went to Mozart's but didn't stay for long.

On the way home, we stopped at a grocery store and picked up the necessities for s'mores since we wanted to put Mary's fireplace to good use–a decision, we came to find, was not a smart one. It soon became stifling in the apartment because it wasn't actually cold outside–we just pretended it was because we wanted s'mores. Colt decided stoking the fire would help it burn out quicker, so the little flame we had turned into a roaring fire; we berated Colt and extinguished the flames with water.Before we went to sleep, Mary turned down the air conditioner and we waited for it to cool down. But it didn't. Mary got out of bed at some point and turned it down even more, but, of course, it didn't work.

And so was the longest, most uncomfortable night of all of our lives.

The next morning we woke and left quickly, and as sad as we were to be saying goodbye again, it was kind of okay because it was unbearable stuffy still. That, and we knew we'd see each other the next weekend.

So, in conclusion of this blog, I love my friends and I love my family. If only we could all be in the same place all the time.

-Maggie

* WHERE DOES THE SYRUP GO?

Maggie and Impressive Beard Guy: The (Failed) Romance of the Century

2010-11-18T13:30:00.008-06:00

As you all know, I have been very taken with a guy in my psychology class who I call Impressive Beard Guy*. I noticed him the first day of class because his beard is, obviously, impressive, but a few classes later I noticed that his arms are also very impressive. More so than the beard. And that's really saying something.

I haven't talked to him** because 1) I am not what some would call "ballsy" and 2) he's very tall and intimidating and attractive. I had devised a plan to talk to him today after our test, but it was thwarted by the fact that he finished the test in fifteen minutes and I did not. It was supposed to go something like this:

Maggie: "Excuse me, what's your name?" (Because I can't be like, "I know your name because I caved and asked the teacher." Because that's just sad. And a little creepy.)

IBG: "Race." (Then he would have explained why he goes by Race when his real name is so adorable, and I would have told him I'm going to call him Charlie anyway.)

The conversation would have continued until we eventually got to the subject of college and future plans.

IBG: "I'm transferring to Tech next semester and plan to move to Austin after I graduate."

Maggie: "OH, FANCY THAT!"

Then it would have been true love always. But, alas, that did not happen. Maybe it's a sign that Impressive Beard Guy and I are just not meant to be. *sigh*

Anyway.

I bought the softest, warmest sweater ever in the entire world from Target when I was in Lubbock this past weekend, and it's seriously my favorite thing ever right now. I feel so cozy when I wear it. Here's a picture of me being cozy:

And last night, my mom bought me the gray ankle boots I've been eyeing for awhile as an early Christmas present, and I bought two cardigans and a new top.

I really shouldn't be allowed in Target more than once a month. No matter how many times I go in a month (or week), I always find fifty dollars worth of clothes, shoes, and accessories that I want, and since I have no will power, I buy them. It's a really terrible thing that I need to work on, but don't really want to because all of my new things are so pretty.

This weekend my best friends and I are converging in Austin so we can all see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I together Friday night and hang out for the rest of the weekend. Husmann is driving from Lubbock to Albany, then KaCee will take her and Jacob to Cisco, and from there the four of us will leave for Austin! Colt will be driving from Waco, and Melany from San Antonio, and we'll all be staying in Mary's apartment! Which is going to be insane, but also wonderful. We're going to build a fort.

Even though I'm seeing it tomorrow night with them, I had always planned to go to the midnight release anyway. So Anne, Julie, Cody, etc, and I are going to the drive-in tonight to see it! HARRY POTTER AT THE DRIVE-IN. We'll see Due Date, some other movie with Ben Affleck that I don't really care about, and then at 12:01 HARRY FREAKING POTTER.

The only thing is I won't get to go tonight if I don't get my laundry done beforehand because I won't have time tomorrow before we leave for Austin. The two washers in our dorm are in use right now, and we're leaving in four hours. If I don't get to go I will be upset because it's the drive-in and the midnight release and all, but it would be fun to see it for the first time with my best friends. I'll just have to wait and see.

No matter when and with who I end up seeing it, I am still SO EXCITED THAT I CANNOT CONTAIN MYSELF OR ADEQUATELY PUT MY EXCITEMENT INTO WORDS.

That is all.

-Maggie

* My teacher (yes, I asked her. DON'T JUDGE ME) said that he goes by Race, but his real name is Charlie, which I just find adorable, but I'm going to keep calling him Impressive Beard Guy so no one gets confused.

** Well, except for the other day when I held the door open for him. He was all, "Thanks" and I was all, "You're welcome". *flips hair* *flutters eyelashes*

Tidbit.

2010-11-08T22:05:00.002-06:00

I am currently watching Star Trek because ~~Chris Pine is beautiful~~ it's a fantastic movie. It totally blew my mind the first time I watched it. BLEW MY MIND, MAN. I'm also painting my nails light blue for the sixteenth time. Every time I've painted them before they've been chipped or I've chipped them off because as much as I like having my nails painted, it seems I like chipping off the paint more.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART I COMES OUT IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. I'M JUST SAYING. AND IF ALL GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN, I WILL GET TO SEE IT OPENING NIGHT AND THE NEXT NIGHT. HOLLA.

That is all.

-Maggie

2010-11-07T01:07:00.006-05:00

Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.

I am so incredibly proud of you. I was actually tearing up when you were telling me all about your mom, the schools, and the cities on the phone the other day. You're so amazing, and even though you won't be there until next fall, I miss you already.
I think about you everyday and miss you all the time. See you later.
The three of you are wonderful, wonderful. I am so thankful that there is an us. I plan to be best friends for life, for real, so be prepared for that. Monogamy in the City–it's gonna be a thing.
This is going to sound weird, but we are all really proud of you. If you aren't smart about this though, we very well may kill you.
It still really upsets me that you do not reach your full blogging potential.
It has been much too long since we've had a Will-and-Grace-Mystery-at-Hogwarts-video-game-Ben-and-Jerry's-stay-up-way-too-late night. I wish we lived in the same place. We're much too far away from each other.
I am so thankful that she has you, and am so excited for you both.
I can't wait to live in the same place as you. Many dates at Sugar Brown's and Chili's will be had, much jamming out to T-Swift and Mat Kearney will be done. You are lovely, and I love you dearly.
I know I don't always act it, but I think you're the most amazing lady in the world. I love that we stay up all night talking and watch movies together and that you're so silly. I love love love you.
I know I don't always act it with you either, but I think you're the greatest dad ever. I love that you suggest music to me all the time and that we stay up late watching TV together and that we're both so sarcastic. I love love love you too.

Nine things about yourself.

I have lost count of the number of times I've watched the "Teenage Dream" clip from this week's Glee. I'm so excited to see Darren Criss that I really cannot contain myself.
The more I listen to "Lights" by Journey, the more I want to move to San Francisco.
I take pride in my ability to listen to people's problems and make awesome mix CDs.
I become very involved in fictional characters lives (i.e. Kurt on Glee, everyone in Harry Potter).
The length of my "People I Would Marry" list worries me sometimes. It worries me more that I have an actual, physical list of people I would marry.
I've started carrying around tiny Moleskins to write down things I think I could use in books one day. So if you say something funny around me, I will steal it and leave you with a small acknowledgement in the back of the book. Just so you know.
I really like to correct people. Which is why my fallback job is copyeditor.
I would wear heels every day if my closet had the variety and my feet had the ability.
My favorite holiday is Christmas. If someone were to ask me what my second favorite holiday is, I guess I would say Halloween, but Christmas fills the first thirteen slots and then it's Halloween at number fourteen. I really love Christmas.

Eight ways to win your heart.

If you love Jesus.
If you dress well.
If you love to read and take pictures.
If you believe that Harry Potter is far superior to everything else in life.
If you are funny.
If you are kind.
If we can talk easily.
If you get as jazzed about things as I do.

Seven things that cross your mind a lot.

"I could use that in a book."
"That would make a good picture."
"I really want Chili's."
"I could go for a nap right now."
"That man is very attractive. We should be friends."
"I'd rather be in a coffee shop."
"Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter."

Six people who mean a lot.*

My parents.
Denny and D-Dad.
Julia and Andrew.
Keren.
Melany, KaCee, and Husmann.
Mary.

Five turn-ons.

Facial hair.**
Wears flannel shirts and v-necks.
Listens to good music (a.k.a. the music I listen to).
Nice arms.
Bright eyes.

Four turn-offs.

Smokes or drinks.
Cusses incessantly.
Poor grammar.
Bad style.

Three things you wish you'd never done.

I regret every time I stayed home rather than go to Lubbock.
I wish I hadn't had that Butterfinger Blast after lunch today. Or every other time I've ever had a Butterfinger Blast.
I regret not saying something to Coach Fuentes about Jami playing in my spot last year.

Two smileys that describe your life right now.

One confession.

I don't know whether or not I believe the world is going to end in 2012, but it scares me nonetheless. The whole idea seems ludicrous because, really, I feel like the Mayans just got tired of making calendars, but I can't say that I don't have my worries. Whether it ends or not, people are still going to go a little crazy, and that alone is scary enough.

-Maggie

* Some people are grouped together because it doesn't make sense for them to be apart.

** Yeah, you wouldn't expect it because I didn't either, but I have come to find it's very true.

Wow.

2010-10-19T21:58:00.005-05:00

"'Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at . . . something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance."

When I have turned the final page of a truly fantastic book I am overcome with a feeling that I can't really put a name to. Nostalgia, maybe? There is definitely a little sadness, regardless of whether the book was sad. Whatever it is, it's a feeling I can't shake for at least a few hours after closing the book.

One Day by David Nicholls is a truly fantastic book (and if you haven't caught on, the quote above is from it). I said in my previous post that you should go buy it, but you really must. I just cannot get over how wonderful and hilarious and shockingly sad it was.

I would continue blathering on in my soppy, emotional state, but I must get to bed because we have our second Guys and Gals performance tomorrow. Since we're in vans pulling trailers, we will be driving at only fifty-five miles per hour, so it will take us three hours to get to Granbury instead of the usual hour and a half.

Joy.

-Maggie

"I used to say it would be like being Tiger Woods, but I don't say that anymore."

2010-10-16T22:32:00.025-05:00

I'm currently sitting at Mozart's, a coffee shop in Austin that Mary raves about, with my best friend Melany sipping white chocolate mochas and listening to the guy behind me tell a story involving weed and him lying to the cops. There was a guy playing music earlier, but he's stopped and is checking his phone now, probably texting his girlfriend, which is unfortunate because he looks quite cute. But it's also pretty dark out here, and it might just be because he can play the guitar.

This coffee shop is, understandably, very busy. There are groups of friends, parents with their children, and couples obviously on dates chatting and laughing around us. Melany and I, being the bitter, single people we are, hate these couples enjoying themselves.

"I hate them," Melany says taking another bite of her Oreo chocolate mousse. She pauses, looks down at her now half-empty cup, and says, "Look at my life, look at my choices!" Very sassy gay friend-esque.

I drove to San Antonio yesterday afternoon because Meg Cabot had an event at the Barnes & Noble near Melany's school that night. It was great to meet Meg Cabot because she's probably my second favorite author (after J.K. Rowling) and all, but I was nowhere near as excited to meet her as I was to meet John Green. Anyway, that brings the author encounters up to two and leaves Augusten Burroughs, Maureen Johnson, and the almighty J.K. Rowling who I've yet to meet.

After the event we ate too much food at Chili's and then went back to Melany's dorm room with plans of getting to bed so we could wake up at nine. Of course, that did not go according to plan, and we didn't wake up until noon today.

For reasons unknown to us, it took us two and a half hours to get ready, but when we finally did, we headed to Chipotle which can only be described as a godsend. It's hard to eat a Chipotle burrito without looking like a ravenous lion because they are that delicious, not to mention very large. I could use this moment to put up a very embarrassing picture of Melany devouring her burrito, but I will refrain.*

We headed to here, which is only about an hour and twenty minutes away, after that to shop and see Mary. Also, to escape the ugly because everything in San Antonio is ugly and everything in Austin is marvelous.**

My life plan thus far: Finish my application and get accepted to Texas Tech so I can be very far away from Cisco and the theater program, graduate from Texas Tech, and move to Austin. I really, really love this city.

Anyway.

I've been reading One Day by David Nicholls, and it's a really wonderful book, which is why I feel you needed to know about it. Go pick up a copy so you can have it read before the movie comes out starring none other than Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Yes, ANNE and JIM. I love them both, and cannot wait to see what the movie will be like (and am also thankful that they're making a movie because I wouldn't have heard of this book otherwise).

And now it's time to leave Mozart's and go to Mary's apartment to talk with her and Megan for awhile, so I will end this.

Au revior.

-Maggie

P.S. Do yourself a favor and buy Maroon 5's new CD.

** No, really. All of the buildings in San Antonio are hideous. I thought it might just be the campus of UTSA, but then we ventured out and there was just ugly. Ugly everywhere.

Blog o' Lists o' People*

2010-10-11T17:23:00.002-05:00

People I Would Marry

01. Jackson Rathbone

02. Joey Richter

o3. Rupert Grint

04. James McAvoy

05. Brian Rosenthal

People I Would Marry If They Weren't Already Taken

01. John Green

02. Orlando Bloom

03. Johnny Depp

04. Ryan Reynolds

05. Ashton Kutcher

People I Find Attractive, But Would Not Marry

01. Robert Pattinson

02. Adrien Brody

03. James Franco

04. Zac Efron

05. Joe Walker

People I Find Attractive for Reasons Even I Don't Fully Understand

01. Gary Oldman

02. Impressive Beard Guy in my psychology class

03. Johnny Galecki

04. Mark Strong

05. Taye Diggs

People I Want to Be Best Friends With

01. Emma Watson

02. Chris Colfer

03. Anne Hathaway

04. Neil Patrick Harris

05. Jim Parson

People I Must Meet Before I Die

01. J.K. Rowling

02. Jackson Rathbone

03. Emma Watson

04. Augusten Burroughs

05. Kirsten Dunst

-Maggie

* All in order from most desired to least.

A Few Things

2010-10-03T17:37:00.012-05:00

01. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I comes out NEXT MONTH. NEXT. MONTH.

02.

03. This weekend was Homecoming, and as fun as it was, it made me very nostalgic and sad. Every time I get to see my friends for a weekend or even just come home for a night, it makes it harder to go back to Cisco. Transferring to Lubbock next semester instead of next fall is sounding more and more appealing. (On a less pessimistic side, I will get to see everyone again at the end of October for Running Man, which I actually get to participate in this year!)

04.

Joy Newell is one of my favorite photographers, and I've recently contacted her about buying a print of the above photo and another. Hopefully, she'll sell them to me because I would really enjoy having them on my wall.

05. Fall is my absolute favorite season (then winter), and I'm quite excited that it's finally getting cooler. I love coats and scarves and being cozy and coffee with good books.* And not sweating every time I step outside. It's also acceptable to be pale during the colder months, so I'm excited to not be the only one without a tan.

06. "It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try to readjust the way you thought of things."

-Lemony Snicket

-Maggie

P.S. NEXT. MONTH. Oh my gosh.

* I may make a blog of my favorite things about fall and winter now.

Poughkeepsie

2010-09-28T21:58:00.012-05:00

Say what you will about the series and movies, but I always have and always will love Sex and the City. Yes, yes, it's raunchy and leaves nothing to the imagination, but that's not really what it's supposed to be about. It's mainly about friendship and love. Then sex. Then shoes.

My favorite, of course, is Carrie. She's a writer living in a fantastic apartment in Manhattan with the most beautiful closet I've ever seen–I can relate. Relate in the way that that will one day be my life (except maybe not in New York).

If we're being honest, when I grow up, I want to be Carrie Bradshaw. I mean, the woman accessorizes her pajamas with a string of pearls. She has done exactly what I want to do with my life–have shoes instead of children.

Kids, we cost a lot. Think of all the money that goes towards us throughout our lives, and what's spent even before we're born. Moms have to buy new undies, jeans with elastic in them, and shirts to cover their bulging bellies while they are pregnant–not to mention they lose their figure. All of that money could go to someone who really deserves it. Steve Madden, for instance. Manolo Blahnik. Dooney & Bourke.

"But what if your husband wants kids?" you ask, as many people have.

To which I reply: "My husband and I will have discussed important matters such as who will wash the dishes, Harry Potter, and children before we're even engaged. I'm way ahead of you. HAH."

"Maggie, you'll have kids," you then say to me. "We'll see each other ten years from now, and you'll be followed by a troop of children that look just like you."

No. Just no.

I get the same reaction from everyone when I tell them that I don't to have children. First they give me this shocked look, like I've just told them that I hate puppies and dreams or something, then they repeat what I've just said as a question.

"You don't want kids?"

"I don't want kids."

"Why?"

The Short Version:

I am an inherently selfish person.

The Long Version (in three parts):

Part One: The cost, as I mentioned above. I like money, and when I have earned my own money (after I've paid the bills) I would like to spend it on shoes, purses, and books, not diapers, booties, and toys.

Part Two: I had to babysit my siblings ever day after school for year (I don't now because I'm in college, obviously). I love them very much, but I certainly did not enjoy watching them at all. Since I am only their older sister, they did not believe that they had to listen to any instruction I gave them. The happiest part of my day was when I heard my mother or father walking in the front door. That meant the ~~heathens~~ children were no longer my responsibility, and I could take sanctuary in my room.

I would never be able to escape if the children were mine though. I like kids well enough as long as I can hand them off to their parents when they start crying, acting badly, or dirty their diaper. I'd be a great aunt.

Part Three: I have enough trouble with my body as is, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to manage if I were to have a child. I don't have much will power; I would give into my cravings immediately-even after I had the child. I would be rotund. People would ask me when the baby was due even when there was no baby.

Let's just not chance that, alright?

Part Four: One word: Rips.

I think my reasoning is sound. So sound in fact, that I can't see why anyone would want children. I know the first three don't apply to everyone because most people aren't as selfish as I am, but the last one. . . . I mean, WHY? I just don't understand.

But, hey, babies are cute! And I'm sure labor doesn't hurt that bad! If you want to have a baby, go right ahead. Meanwhile, I will have Schnookums and high heels and a large library.

-Maggie

"Should I throw a tot at that cat?"

2010-09-20T22:12:00.005-05:00

Last Wednesday I took my first college test in U.S. History. My third cousin* Bryce and I had done the review together and the material was pretty easy in general, so I was certain I'd done well. Before my teacher handed back our Scantron sheets in class this morning she said, "Of the forty-eight people in this class, twenty-six failed. Ten made D's, four made C's, five made B's, and only three people received A's."

Bryce and I looked at each other. "You better have given me the right answers," he said half-joking, half-serious.

"You too!" I said completely serious.

As she handed them back out I became more and more nervous. Bryce got his first and it said he made a ninety. I relaxed for a second, but then the pessimist in me took over and I thought, What if I failed though? Just because Bryce made an A and we did the study guide together doesn't mean that I did the same as him. . . . What if something crazy happened and I was one of the twenty-six that failed?!

I told Bryce this and he comforted me by saying he would laugh hysterically if that happened. Thanks, cuz. The teacher handed back my Scantron, I flipped it over, and in bright purple was the number . . . 92.

"HAH!" I pointed emphatically in his face.

"Ah, you suck," he replied. "This means war, Maggie."

So that was a good start to my day not only because I made an A on my first test in college, but because I like to be better than people. (The third A was a ninety too, so that means I made the highest grade in the class. I'm just saying.)

I also just ran up that big hill**, so all in all, I'm feeling pretty accomplished today.

Anyway, school so far has been decent. I actually really enjoy my classes, but that might just be because I dislike theater so much that everything else is wonderful in comparison.

Melany came home this past weekend and her, KaCee, and I went to Abilene on Saturday for Jason's Deli, shopping, and Easy A. Here's a picture for you:

By the way, Easy A? FANTASTIC. You must see it. It's the first movie I've seen in a long time that I've really, really loved and couldn't wait to buy on DVD. It's just super great.

Anywho. I'm going to turn off How I Met Your Mother and study psychology a little bit for I have my second college test tomorrow. Hopefully I will do as well on this one as I did on the first.

-Maggie

* My family is close to distant relatives.

** I realize not all of you know what "that big hill" is. The Cisco College campus is on top of a big hill. I started at the bottom and ran up it.

I will try not to cry because there's no need to say goodbye.

2010-09-13T21:59:00.017-05:00

I'm sitting in the library right now with Mat Kearney to keep me company as the e-mails I am trying to send my aunt and cousin load very, very slowly. The Internet in the library is quite quick compared to the connection in the dorm, but it is by no means quick compared to anything else.

Last week and this one have been very, very tough.

We returned home last Monday evening from visiting my uncle in Lubbock, only to be told as we walked in the door that he had passed away. I drove back Thursday in time for his viewing and his funeral was Friday. They were both beautiful; there were pictures and dozen of flowers and great music and an entire chapel and lobby full of people who love David.

When I think of my Uncle David, three things come to mind (well, more than three things come to mind, but these three come to mind the most): learning to stick my tongue out, good music, and Tokyo. (Also, Worf, which you can read about here.)

One of David's greatest accomplishments in life was teaching all of the kids in the family how to properly stick their tongues out. He would stick his tongue out at us when the other adults weren't looking, but when we did someone always caught us and we would get in trouble (until we got some common sense and told on him instead of retaliating).

The other two were just things that he loved so I have always associated it with him. David had fantastic taste in music (ask anyone who was at his viewing or funeral–the family walked in to "You're My Best Friend" by Queen). When I was little, I remember thinking of The Beatles when I thought of David; I really thought that was the only thing he listened to. He was the one that told me there was much more to The Beatles than just "Yellow Submarine".

Tokyo was, like, his favorite restaurant ever in the world. Everyone that worked there knew him, and we would go almost every time I came to visit. It had fantastic food and they made it in front of you and tossed the eggs up and set things on fire. It was pretty legit, and I will always, always think of David when I eat there (which will be a lot).

He was just a really amazing person all around. We were so blessed to have him for the time we did.

Aunt Vanessa and Uncle David with their first grandchild, Rylee.

We miss you so, so much, David. It's going to be hard without you, but we'll get through it, and take comfort in the knowledge that we'll see you again someday.

-Maggie

P.S. Buy Sara Bareilles new CD. DO IT.

Maybe it's all gone blind, but you're all I see.

2010-09-01T21:15:00.007-05:00

I am currently sitting on the floor of the laundry room in my dorm–which, I admit, isn't the most sanitary place to be sitting, but I'm not leaving my clothes in here–waiting for my clothes to finish drying and watching How I Met Your Mother.

We didn't have any theater rehearsals today, so I was finished at eleven and it was fantastic. I ate lunch with KaCee in the cafeteria, watched Chicago with Justine, and then took, like, a four hour nap. And now I'm doing laundry finally. Once these are finished drying I'm totally watching Pocahontas.

Yes, that's how Maggie rolls at college.

The other night, Jenny and I were walking across the parking lot to our dorm when all of the sudden a girl burst through the end door. She seemed to be in her pajamas, her feet were bare, and her hair mussed, but that didn't seem to matter because she sprinted across the parking lot and jumped into the arms of a long-haired boy waiting by his car.

I am usually a very bitter person when it comes to boys and love and what not, but when I saw that, even though I was jealous, it still made me happy. Instead of thinking, I wish I had that, as I do frequently, I turned to Jenny and said, "One day we will have that."

If only it was easy to keep that mindset.

Yes, yes, I know I'm only eighteen and have my whole life ahead of me and should be focusing on my studies and what have you, but it's difficult. Everyone wants someone. Everyone is always wanting someone. Frank A. Clark once said, "A baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it." Truer words have not been spoken.

But enough of that. It's time for bed.

-Maggie

P.S. William Fitzsimmons and The Fray are best listened to loud.

We'd never know what's wrong without the pain. Sometimes the hardest things and the right things are the same.

2010-08-29T02:56:00.009-05:00

This is one of those times that I probably shouldn't be blogging because it's late and as it gets later my ability to write intelligibly decreases greatly, but I often do things I shouldn't–like buy the two-disc special edition of Pocahontas because I can and give into my urge to get ice cream everyday after lunch.

Anyway.

I'm in college! That's weird.

I have been living in the dorms for the past two weeks doing theater-y things, and the rest of classes started this past Wednesday. And I haven't been late to any of them!* Also, I spent nearly ninety dollars at Wal-Mart the other day on things that I needed, not wanted (okay, except for the Butterfinger ice cream). Needless to say, I'm becoming quite the grown-up.

I feel the only way to share the rest of my thoughts is in list form. Partially–no, mostly– because I just really want to make a list.

Things That Maggie Has Learned/Come to Realize/Thought During Her Time at College

01. I love lunch and dinnertime. I also love baseball. It's America's favorite pastime. You probably don't think there's a connection between these two things, but there definitely is.

02. Tonight Jenny and I went to watch the football game for a bit and it really made me miss high school Friday nights. I miss dressing up and knowing everyone who was playing and the energy you felt and all of the red. I'm overcome with feelings of nostalgia at the moment.

03. I really miss sleeping by Schnookums.

04. The Internet connection here sucks. It's really annoying. Perhaps this makes me very spoiled, but I've become accustomed to having my pages load quite quickly, as opposed to not at all.

05. Tap water here comes straight from the lake. You should buy bottled water unless you like the taste of bacteria.

06. Don't buy Ozarka bottled water. It tastes bad.

07. The Eastland Wal-Mart is the worst Wal-Mart you will ever go to.

08. When Jenny, Julie, and I are together we like to laugh and make friends with hairdressers and Best Buy employees. We also stay up too late.

09. Plants Vs. Zombies is a super fun game.

This blog was kind of short and lame. I feel this is becoming a recurring thing. Bah.

Good night!

-Maggie

* Yet.

"I wish that I had a lawn chair." "There are a lot of shooting stars here, you could just keep wishing."

2010-08-13T03:06:00.004-05:00

Tonight there was a meteor shower, as I'm sure you know. I've always loved stars*, so when KaCee told me there was to be a bunch of falling ones, I was very excited.

A few friends and I went out past Thrill Hill and laid in truck beds and on top of cars to watch, and it was really quite wonderful. We sat out there for about an hour and a half, and there were a lot of holy craps and aw I missed its and general yelling in that time. I saw at the very least twenty shooting stars. I alternated between two wishes every time I saw one; I'll let you know if they come true.

Isn't it weird to think that there are other people making wishes on the same stars you're making wishes on? It's just something we thought about tonight. We're deep like that sometimes.

Hah.

After we (and by we, I mean everyone but KaCee and I. We could have stayed out there all night) decided we'd seen enough, we made a quick run to Allsup's and then went to KaCee and Jacob's apartment. We talked and ate and laughed for a long time until my dad texted me and I realized it was past two and that I was probably going to be in trouble.

Now I should probably go to sleep since I'm going to have a lot to do tomorrow. Since I haven't packed yet. And I leave Saturday. And tomorrow is Friday.

Oops.

-Maggie

P.S. This is my two-hundredth post. High five?!

* Yes, yes, I know. Meteors and comets and stars are all different things, and there really aren't such things as shooting or falling stars, but from this far away they all look the same. Leave me be.

Will you, won't you be the one I'll always know?

2010-08-11T23:24:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted a proper blog. Obviously. I have been pretty busy, actually, and when I haven't been, I've felt like I don't have anything blog-worthy to put up here. Shelby threatened to ground me if I didn't though and my mom has said several things to me, so here I am!

Last weekend we went to Lubbock to see my uncle (who really, really needs your prayers (and if you're not the praying kind then just think about him really hard and try to send those thoughts upward)). The weekend before my three best friends and I were at my aunt's in Athens which is a five hour drive (that took nine hours on the way down there because KaCee's profanities cursed the trip). The weekend before we were in Lubbock again, the weekend before that my family and I were in Dallas, and the weekend before that Justin and Tyler came to visit.

So, as you can tell, my weekends have been very busy and there has been a lot time spent in cars. It's definitely been the funnest summer ever though, so I am not complaining.

And now I'm going to type things as they come to me.

Even though all of Taylor Swift's songs are essentially the same, including her new single "Mine"–there's a boy and then there's a fight (usually at two a.m.) and she's thinks they're going to break up, but the boy is all like, "Marry me, Juliet" and true love always and all that–I still quite like all of them. T-Swift appeals to the thirteen year old girl in me that believes things like that actually happen.

I move in this Saturday. That's two days from now. Have I even started packing? Nope. Do I even know what I'm going to take? Not really. I do know it's not going to be very much though because I'm not living in a dorm room so much as I'm living in a hole. (I've been really negative about this whole college thing. You should just ignore me when I start talking about it.)

Oh! There are only four pages left in my textbook.* I'm quite excited and proud of myself.

I keep seeing pictures of this year's volleyball team with their new uniforms and cute sweatbands and it makes me sad that I'm not going back to high school. It's really weird. I don't feel like school is about to start because I haven't been in two-a-days, so it's snuck up on me.

Yesterday, Melany, KaCee, Colt, and I had girly day in Abilene. Manicures, pedicures, a little shopping, and the Olive Garden. This might just be me, but when my nails are painted, it makes me feel very fancy. Even when they're Barbie pink (which is what they are now).

And now I'm going to post some random pictures from the past few weeks because I'm not very interesting.

I'm sorry I neglected you for so long, Blogger. I will have much to say once school starts, I'm sure, and it might actually be interesting.

Now I'm going to textbook and watch a sappy movie even though my mom told me she was waking me up early. I'm a rebel, I know.

-Maggie

* By textbook I mean journal that I collage and draw and write things in. We (my friends and I) just call it that because the first ones we started were old computer textbooks, but we eventually all switched to smaller journals.

2010-08-11T02:12:00.001-05:00

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

2010-07-16T03:54:00.002-05:00

"Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls will forever be camp and serenade and roses and dancing and Justin.

Just so you know.

I should have been asleep long ago. My mom is going to be very upset with me.

-Maggie

It's not that it goes too fast, it's that it goes at all.

2010-07-13T03:41:00.007-05:00

I'm just getting in from another fantastic talk on my porch swing. I'm not really sure what it is, but sitting out there with a few friends, the sound of the bugs, feel of the night breeze brings out the best conversations. We've only had this swing this summer and it's seen some of the best talks of my life.

It started out as KaCee, Husmann, David, Britton, and I. Then KaCee left and Britton followed, and then Melany came. We talked about everything–jobs, moving away, long distance relationships, God, religion, differences, things that scare us, girls, boys, our families.

I love these talks. It's what summer–what life in general is made for.

You don't know how your friends really are until you have one of these talks. You find that someone you thought was only good for dirty jokes and laughs is also good for serious, delicate matters. Sometimes they'll say something that you've been dying to hear from someone else rather than your own head or friend who knows your whole story. It's a fantastic thing to find out about a person.

On Facebook I had a great talk with my amazing, brilliant big sister Keren about boys and all the worries I had and my paranoid and over-active mind. I hope that everyone has a Keren in there lives because she's a really helpful thing. As she was doling out her advice and knowledge, I told KaCee what was going on and we both agreed she is one of the smartest people in the world, even though she insists she's just old. I really wish that she was close enough so that we could have these talks on my swing rather than Facebook chat.

Before I go to sleep, I want to tell you about two things. The first I found via link from Shelby who found it via link from Amy who found it . . . I don't know. That's not important. It's called the Day Zero Project, and you are to make a list of 101 things to complete in 1001 days (which is roughly 2.75 years). It's a really interesting thing and I hope to complete it. My day zero is April 9, 2013–my twenty-first birthday–and you can view my list here.

The second thing I found on Day Zero because it was a task many wished to complete and I added it to my list. It's the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind, and while you're answering them your mind won't feel very free, I'm sure it will be amazing when you honestly answer every one. I look forward to this challenge (because it is definitely going to be one).

-Maggie

I ordered this t-shirt yesterday.

2010-07-08T11:33:00.002-05:00

Except mine will be yellow.

YOU ARE JEALOUS.

-Maggie

Oh, you're such a pretty thing. I'll take you and I'll make you all mine.

2010-07-06T00:38:00.004-05:00

If you have the time and money–I would go buy Jack Johnson's new CD "To the Sea". It's summer, and he is the man of summer music. How could this possibly be a bad purchase?

For the past four days I have been housesitting for my mom's boss. While it was nice to get paid and be somewhere completely alone, I am so glad to be home in my bed with my dog in a house with wifi. You would think they'd have wifi, you really would, but they don't. And you would think that at least one of the surrounding houses wouldn't have their wifi password protected, but you would be wrong.

Melany was supposed to stay the nights with me at their house, but never did because of her work and my not wanting to make up the trundle bed for her. She did hang out with me every night though and we ate a lot of Tostino's pizza rolls and streusel cakes. One of those nights I found out that sometimes she just pretends to be incompetent so I'll get frustrated and do things for her. That's just sometimes though–most of the time she really is incompetent.

In other news, Justin and Tyler will be here in THREE DAYS. Okay, sort of four days because they won't be here until Friday evening, but I like to say three better because it's less than four.

I am very, very excited. I still don't know what we're going to do and my room still isn't clean, but I have three days to figure all that out! There has been talk of wiener dog races and the drive-in and hanging out at Veronica's inbetween, but we will see!

Tonight, I went on a bike ride with my little sister Emmy and cousin Abby. It was dark, but I feel like the possible danger adds to the fun of riding bikes. We planned to do this every night that Abby is here, but I don't know if we'll be able to because I think Husmann needs to take her bike back. . . . Perhaps I can convince my dad to fix Emmy's bike tomorrow.

Oh, and on Saturday night we went to the drive-in for KaCee's birthday. Melany sobbed during Toy Story 3. Literally sobbed. It was hilarious.

-Maggie

You're what?! Tin roof rusted.

2010-06-27T03:00:00.006-05:00

Things That Made Today Great:

01. On the way home from Lubbock today (where I had a fantastic time as per usual), my family had an epic dance party. We were safety dancin' it up and didn't stop believing and rah rah rah ah ahed.

02. While my siblings and I were gone, my parents picked up our rooms a little bit because they're great (and I'm sure they got a little bored without us to entertain them), so I got to come home to a semi-clean room.

03. Soon after, KaCee and Melany came over.

04. KaCee pulled out our notebook from freshman year and we laughed at how weird we were and all the boys we had crushes on and apologized to Melany for being so mean to her. (Hah.)

05. Then Trevor got here and let me have his leftover Chili's. Best cousin ever! Actually, all of my cousins are the best cousins ever because they would all let me have their leftover Chili's. (I, on the other hand, am so not that generous.)

06. Then there were texts and sweet things said and blushing.

07. KaCee, Melany, and I laid on our porch swing* and talked about anything and everything. The great kind of talks that you only stop because you're falling asleep.

08. I get to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Good night!

-Maggie

P.S. Two weeks is a really, really long time.

* Officially the best investment ever made by my parents.

So...

2010-06-26T22:56:00.002-05:00

Melany is my best friend. OF ALL TIME. No one compares to her awesomeness. I wish I could be her.

-Maggie

I just really like lists.

2010-06-25T01:36:00.000-05:00

-Maggie

Something in your eyes is making such a fool of me.

2010-06-23T00:45:00.004-05:00

I just feel like I really want to write a blog, but I don't even know what I want to write a blog about! I'm feeling so conflicted.

Also, these two kids right here

are coming to visit me in two and a half weeks. That's really all I can focus on right now because I am just so excited. We're pretty much BFFL.

Anywho, I am in Lubbock at the current time. Julia and I bought Chick-fil-a ice cream earlier this evening and watched the lightning in a far off storm, and now we're at her house watching Boy Meets World. I am really craving honey chipotle chicken crispers, but really, what else is new?

I think we're about to go to bed, and I don't really have anything else to say anyway. I feel like I have nothing to blog about that is actually interesting. Tell me something to blog about people.

-Maggie

P.S. Checky check out Colbie Caillat's CD. The newer one. I know it came out awhile ago, but I just got it and it's pretty much true love always. Also, anything acoustic by The Scene Aesthetic.

2010-06-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

Dear blog,

I am now in the presence of my grandfather who had a very happy Father's Day.

-Maggie

P.S. D-Dad told me to put this up.

You're stuck on me and my laughing eyes.

2010-06-19T11:03:00.010-05:00

Hello! We're on the way to Lubbock and I am very tired! I got up early this morning to have coffee with my mom and Keren, and so we could pack and leave to get to Lubbock by lunch (we won't get there by lunch). We are doing pretty good on time though (and it's not because my mom is speeding (that much)). We only left thirty minutes late as opposed to two hours as we usually do.

About this time last week I was leaving camp, which was amazing even though there were various tragedies throughout the week. When I got home last Saturday afternoon at about one, I set my stuff down and passed out on my bed. Nineteen hours later, I woke up. That's right, kids–I fell asleep at one in the afternoon on Saturday and didn't get up until eight on Sunday morning. I was exhausted. This is how tired I was: My fancy, shiny MacBook Pro came in while I was at camp, and when I got home, I didn't even open the box. Yeah, really.

Why was I so tired? Well, at camp, we always get behind schedule. Especially later in the week. It's inevitable. Wednesday night, the dance was supposed to end at ten-thirty, I think, and it wasn't over until, like . . . later than that. I don't remember exactly. BUT the next night we got TWO HOURS off schedule. I don't know how it happened. I don't think anyone does. So I didn't get to bed until three-thirty, and the next night after crying at affirmation and senior banquet and worship, the seniors got to stay up all night in the assembly hall. Most of the seniors fell asleep by about four or something, but Justin, Austin, Tiffany, and I stayed up all night long, and watched the sunrise at the blob dock. After that we went back to the dorms to shower and pack, ate breakfast, clean-up, worship, and closing circle (where there was much more crying).

So, in short, crying plus staying up for more than twenty-four hours straight plus more crying led me to my comatose.

Anyway, now I'm actually going to tell you about camp.

Our keynoter, Cory Glover, was fantastic. I really enjoyed all of the keynotes. In one he talked of how a lot of people believe that everything happens for a reason and that God is control of everything. They ask if he's not in control of everything, how can he be in control of anything? Some things happened in Cory's life that made it hard for him to believe that though, and he adopted another old theology, which I think is really interesting to think about. He said that there are some that believe that God isn't in control of everything. They think that God has the power to do everything, but he doesn't exercise that power all the time, and that's how we have free will.

I had always had a really hard time understanding and trying to work out in my mind how God could have a set plan for us, but us also have free will. And I couldn't possibly believe that God's plan for some consisted of being murderers and drug addicts, so this has really helped. I think it makes a lot of sense, but you are entitled to your own opinion on the matter.

ANYWHO.

Serenade was so adorable I almost died. Most people look at it as a competition of sorts (boys versus girls) but there really is no competition at all because it's just better when boys sing to girls. The boys don't care that much about us singing to them, but when they sing to us, even though we look at most of them as brothers, we still sigh and grin and get all googly-eyed. It's almost pathetic really, but I love it. I won't explain the whole thing because I don't feel like it, but I will say it involved roses and slow dancing.

Camp was just so great. I couldn't even really describe it. I was going to put up some pictures, but it's not quite working, so I'll just end it here.

-Maggie

2010-06-14T20:40:00.002-05:00

I didn't even go, and I adore this! Kudos to Baron Batch.

After seeing this and hearing Julia talk about it, how can I not go next year?

-Maggie

Only love can save us all.

2010-06-08T22:37:00.005-05:00

I had to leave camp Monday evening for Lubbock due to a family emergency, and the time since then has been filled with stress and worry and general distress. Monday night I was so angry and confused, and now I'm feeling very fragile and drained and worried. Mostly worried.

I won't tell you what is going on because, well, it's not the blog world's business, but I will ask you to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. It's really what we need the most.

There have been a few parts during the day that have been a little better. Lunch and laughing with Andrew, telling funny family stories, coffee from Sugar Brown's and talking with Julia and her friends, texting Lee and Justin, and right now watching an old movie with D-Dad. It's never left my mind, but those were little high points. I only hope the others can have little high points too.

I get to go back to camp tomorrow. I don't want to leave, but at the same time I'm happy I get to go back because it's my last one. I'm going to come back as soon as possible though.

To make this blog not completely depressing, let's keep in mind that when I get home my MacBook Pro will be there and the shaved ice stand will be open.

I can't think of anything else to say, or be truly excited about anything, so I'm just going to say good night. Please remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

-Maggie

That tosser Harry Potter.

2010-06-03T20:08:00.002-05:00

I graduated nearly a week ago.

That's weird.

Do you know what is even weirder? No one tripped* or cried throughout the entire ceremony! The only time I ever even teared up was after the slideshow when the lights came back on and I saw my dad weeping like a small child.

The ceremony was great though. I got two scholarships, Jonathan and Kallie's speeches were good, and we danced our way down the aisle to "I've Gotta Feeling" during the recessional. All of my mom's side of the family was there, most of my dad's, and my adopted brother Waylon.

Before leaving for Project Graduation, I seriously questioned whether or not I would make it through the night having got up at seven that morning to continue cleaning and didn't really stop moving until I was seated at Graduation, but once I got on the charter bus I was pumped. The double shot vanilla frappuccino I bought from Allsup's probably helped some too though. Also, I bought this drink cup that looked like a purple bowling pin and drank blue rasberry slurpies aaall night long.

Not to mention the school gave each senior seventy-five dollars to spend on games throughout the night, and I left with sixty of it. Whoop whoop.

Anyway, so now it's summer, and that's weird.

Tuesday night Melany, Husmann, KaCee, and I went to Abilene to eat at Chili's and see Sex and the City 2. Melany didn't get off work until seven, and then she had to get ready, so we didn't get to Abilene until nearly nine. We ended up having to eat very quickly, and ordered dessert to go. We shoved the to-go boxes into our purses to sneak into the theater because, I mean, why not? Anyway. Chocolate got all over the inside of my purse, but that's alright because I bought a new one the next day. Hooray for Target giftcards!

I am currently having a Harry Potter Movie Marathon, and I'm going to stay up all night to finish it. Because it's summer. And I can. I started with the Half-Blood Prince because I just really felt like watching it. I don't know if I'm just going to go backwards or from most to least favorite yet.

This is nice. My biggest problem not knowing in what order to watch the Harry Potter movies. Ah, summer.

Next week is camp! It's going to be terribly sad, but also amazing, so I'm really looking forward to it. Also, TYLER is going to be there! He was my first really good camp friend (well, that is my age at least. When I went in second grade I was BFFL with my conselour, Misty), but he moved to North Dakota after eighth grade and I haven't seen him since. I'm so excited!

I've decided that when I get back from camp, it's time to start reading Harry Potter. I do this every summer, and it's just as exciting each time.

Ah, nerd life. Who would live any other way?

-Maggie

* Rhone and Melany did almost fall while on the platforms where we were sitting, but there was no tripping while getting a diploma.

One day.

2010-05-27T14:31:00.004-05:00

When I started this blog, the title was, like, fourteen days. This getting ridiculous, so I'm just posting it like it is even though it's not finished and more things have happened since I last worked on it. I don't know why I have so much trouble finishing blogs. Sheesh.

I just sent the last graduation invitation out. Unless my mom finds someone else she wants to invite, but I don't see how that is possible because we've already sent invitations out to every person I have ever talked to or passed in a hallway or glanced at in the mall. There really can't be anyone else left.

The entire process of the invitations took forever, as I knew it would, but that didn't stop it from being annoying.

Printing envelopes was the worst part. I was using Microsoft Word from, like, 1847, and it kept changing the font from Georgia size 14 to Arial 11. (Pfft, Arial.) Sometimes when I would change the font, one line would decide that it still wanted to be a size smaller, so I would have to retype it. Then my printer thought there was not any paper in the tray, so I had to reach over and push the paper feed button for every envelope as well. (Pfft, technology.)

The fact that I was eating chips and salsa, and stopped every two or three envelopes to check Facebook or look on Tumblr might have contributed as well, but it was probably just the first two.

Anyway, this is my last week of school. (WOAH.) Okay, well, the seniors have to go next Monday, but for the rest of that week, we just sign in and leave. Then it's graduation. (WOAH.)

So many things have happened, and there is still so much left to happen. May is usually a busy time, but is even more so when you're a senior.

The Academic and Athletic Banquets were last week. I was very happy that I made the Academic Banquet this year* since it's my last year/I didn't make it last year/college classes don't count towards the required average and my other classes were embarrassingly easy, so it would have been terrible if I hadn't made it.

The top three highest SAT and ACT scores get a check from the school, and I had tied with Alex for the third highest SAT, so I got twenty whole dollars! This is me: A whole twenty dollars! Gee wiz! I took the five-hour test twice, both times after going to a football game the night before, and it cost forty-five dollars each time, but it was TOTALLY WORTH IT for this TWENTY DOLLARS.**

The next night was the Athletic Banquet, which is infinitely more important than the Academic Banquet because everyone knows you get farther with sports than education (sarcasm). That's what everyone treats it like though. There are more and better decorations, much better food, more awards, and everyone dresses nicer. It has never made sense to me since to be eligible to play sports you have to do well in classes, but whatever.

Anyway, Coach Fuentes gave me the "Best Serve" award that she made up just for me, which makes me feel pretty good. Pretty much all of my friends got awards, not only because they're legit, but because the coaches tend to give seniors a lot of the awards.

Let's see . . . what else has happened. . . .

Oh yes, Progressive Dinner. Which wasn't as progressive as it was supposed to be because there had been a massive thunderstorm that afternoon, so we ended up staying at the Presbyterian Church for the first two courses, and then on to Betsy's (an extremely wealthy woman who has a fantastic house on top of a hill that looks over all of Albany) for dessert. It was really fun, and the steak was amazing.

In fourth grade we made time boxes filled with random trinkets and letters to ourselves and t-shirts so we could see how small we'd been, and we opened them that night. Mine was primarily filled Harry Potter Valentine's cards and crap that I am not sure why it was important to me. We had all made posters with likes and dislikes and random information on them, and I put, "My name is Maggie Shirley. I am nine years old, am 4'9" tall, and weigh nunya pounds." (I have always been a self-conscious child.) One of my dislikes was boys, which was a total lie because in fourth grade I was in love with Marcus Nabors and Michael Cooley.

Yesterday was the annual lake party at Emily's house, and it saddens me to say that it wasn't as fun as usual. I don't know if it's because a few people weren't there, or that a few extra people were, but something was off.

I didn't swim, and we only stayed out at the lake for about an hour. When we went back to the house dinner was ready yet because we had come back sooner than expected, so some people played cards and some people (Melany, KaCee, Husmann, and I) went in Emily's room and had a good cry. It was Melany's fault. We had fantastic beef fajitas for dinner, and watched Accepted in the barn. My stomach decided to revolt and try to kill me though, and I was so relieved that we left early.

There was one funny thing that happened though. We thought that the part of the lake that we usually go to would be too muddy, so they took us to this little tank they had. We were there for about eight minutes when Audrey runs out screaming about leeches, and sure enough there were itty bitty leeches all over her legs and feet. Everyone got out quickly, all with their own little leeches. Melany freaked out. I laughed because I hadn't gotten in yet.

Today, Britton is having a party at his farm, which should be fun. Even though no one knows what we're actually going to do besides make s'mores. Hopefully it will be better than yesterday.

-Maggie

* You have to have at least a 90 average in all of your core classes to qualify. I should have made it last year, and nobody really understands why I didn't make it last year because Melany and I basically made the same grades and she got in, but whatever.

** I'm just kidding, of course.*** I was lucky to get anything, especially since I didn't study for either test at all.

*** Well, sort of.

2010-05-20T13:39:00.001-05:00

-Maggie

Oh, would you look at that.

2010-05-19T23:10:00.005-05:00

MAGGIE GOT A FANCY NEW CAMERA. *cue cliche camera shots*

Basically, my parents are the best parents ever in the world because even though I told them not to get me this camera because it was much too expensive, they did anyway. And they got a special deal thing so I got the camera, a 2GB memory card, a schmancy camera bag, AND a 75-300mm lense. WHAT IS UP?

I'm very blessed to have such great parents who buy me things I do not deserve or really need, but just really want.

Also, I like this verse: "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." --Matthew 17:20

-Maggie

P.S. I've been working on one blog for, like, a week, and every time I sit down to finish it, I only write a few paragraphs and then get distracted/become randomly exhausted. It will be finished soon though. I'll try for tomorrow.

2010-05-07T11:32:00.008-05:00

For our last speech in my college public speaking class, we could choose between doing an impromptu or a commemorative speech. I wasn't there on the day they had practiced impromptu, and it sounded kind of scary, so I chose to do commemorative.

She said we could commemorate anything–a wedding toast, eulogy, graduation speech, peanut butter. I chose to do Melany's eulogy. Melany chose to do toast to my marriage with Robert Pattinson.

I'm going to put my speech up because it's funny . . . because I basically make fun of Melany the whole time. But before you read mine, click here and read Melany's before she dies.

Did you read it? Clever, huh? Okay, here's mine:

Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to celebrate the life of our dear friend, Melany Maurer.

Melany meeped her last meep* this past Monday when she ate so much sesame chicken that she spontaneously combusted. I always tried to tell her the the Chinese food in Breckenridge was not worth the eight dollars she paid for it, and was certainly not worth her life. (At this point, I grab a Kleenex and dab my eyes. I know, it's legit.)

We must not weep today though! Melany never knew what to do with herself when people were crying; it made her very awkward and fidgety, and she often offered food that she didn't actually have to give. So today, instead of crying, we will laugh at Melany's memory. All of the hilarious things she said, and the things she did that often made us question her intelligence will be our focus today, so that we can continue to laugh at her now, just as we did while she was alive.

Melany always worked hard in school, and was an alumni of the University of Texas with a double major in Journalism and English. She went on to win many awards for her writing in newspapers and books. Yeah, she turned out to be pretty smart, but there were still many times that I wondered how she had made it this far in life. She often said things like, "These is my favorite movie!" and her capacity to forget everything was astounding.

One time sophomore year, we were sitting in Spanish class translating sentences that were being played on a tape. She let out a frustrated sigh, turned to me, and said, "It's like they're speaking a different language or something!"

She was serious.

Although Melany felt awkward around other people crying, she sure did enjoy shedding her own tears. One of my favorite things to talk about is Melany and Disney movies. First, there's Lilo & Stitch. Ican understand a person tearing up a little bit the first time they watch it--I mean, I'm not heartless. But when it came to Melany? Every. Single. Time. Stitch is walking through the forest--"I'm lost"--and BAM! Waterworks, and laughter from those around her.

Then there's Aladdin. We watched it just a few weeks before her untimely death. At the end when Genie's about to leave, Aladdin says, "Well, I'm gonna miss ya, Genie". Husmann and I look over to see Melany discreetly trying to wipe away tears. No, really. It doesn't matter that she's dead--I'm going to give her crap about that for all eternity.

For all of Melany's hilarious times, there were some bad times for her too.

When the Twilight Saga started getting really big, everyone in Albany jumped on that bandwagon, and our friend Melany was the conductor. She read and loved the books like millions of others did, but her love soon turned into an obsession.

By the time the first movie came out, she had already read and reread the books, but she still always had one of the four with her. It wasn't that she was rereading the entire series over--no, she was carrying them around so she could read her favorite parts again and again. No form intervention worked though. She could not and did not let go for nearly a year. It was a very dark time in her life.

Melany's life was great, and she brought joy and laughter to everyone around her--often on accident and at her own expense. She will be missed, but we will always have the memories of the crazy things she said and did. I know Melany's watching over us in Heaven right now eating Chinese food with Jesus, and I'm sure if we listen very closely, every once in awhile, we'll hear a meep a two.

-Maggie

*For those of you who might not know, my friend Melany lets off a very high pitched squeak at least once an hour that she says are hiccups, but I believe are a mild form of Tourette's. Sometimes she has attacks that seem to coincide with stressful situations, but this has yet to be proven.

This is my last newspaper column. I actually kind of liked it, so here you go.

2010-05-07T11:28:00.005-05:00

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this in every single column I’ve ever written and probably say it at least twice a day, but just in case you didn’t catch it, I’m going to say it again: I love to read. When I was a wee little Maggie, before I could read on my own, I would take books to my mom and dad, crawl up into their lap, and have them read to me. From there my love of books continued to grow as did my library. If all the books I had suddenly turned into the money I have spent on them, I would have a small fortune, but I’d much rather have the books. There are worse things I could have spent my money on anyway—like drugs or Miley Cyrus CDs.

I know what all of you, especially my best friend KaCee, are saying as you read this, “Oh my gosh. What a nerd.” (Except for KaCee it’s probably more like, “YOUR ARE SUCH A NERD. WHY AM I FRIENDS WITH YOU?”) What I don’t understand is why you say it like it’s a bad thing. I embrace it.

The first thing I pack for college will be my Harry Potter books. When I was in elementary school, I enjoyed classes so much I wanted to be a teacher so I could stay there forever. (That changed after fourth grade though, and you all know why.) Not only will I read for the rest of my life, but I also want to write books for others to read because I love them so much. I will not join a Facebook group if it is grammatically incorrect. On my birthday, I met authors John Green and David Levithan, and it was the best birthday ever. I don’t think I’m as excited on Christmas morning as I am waiting in line to see a new Harry Potter movie. Not to mention I’ll probably be blogging on my deathbed.

I’m sure KaCee’s crying by now, so I’ll stop. I think I got the I’m-a-nerd-and-it’s-not-bad-but-is-actually-epically-awesome point across anyway. So if you’ve ever been called a nerd, you should see this as a great accomplishment. You’re living the right way, and as John Green so rightly stated, “Nerd life is so much better than regular life.”

-Maggie

"Bones, two guys at a time is not right. That's why they invented dueling."

2010-05-05T23:12:00.005-05:00

AFTER TURNING IN OUR LAST ENGLISH PORTFOLIO

Ladies and gentlement, it isalmost over. All I have left is my final, which is just a night or two of studying, and then it is FINISHED. Happy days will be here again soon.

Tonight is the first night I haven't had to come home and work on something until I could no longer stay awake since Friday. I have been cleaning my room while watching Bones all day instead because Denny and D-Dad are coming, but it's better than forcing myself to write. Besides, I found all kinds of things I'd forgotten I had while cleaning like a new pair of shoes, a chair, and part of my floor.

I'll write proper blogs later. I still have to rearrange, make my bed, and dust. I probably won't get to all of that tonight, if we're being honest.

-Maggie

* It's been a very, very long time since I've had time to clean my room. Like, a really long time. Seriously.

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now.

2010-05-01T07:47:00.003-05:00

Twenty-eight days until graduation. I don't know how I feel about that.

It was thundering outside just now and lightninged once, but once it actually started raining, it's stopped. I love thunderstorms most of the time. One of the times I don't love them is when they wake me up and scare the crap out of me. But since I'm awake now, I would like it to thunder some more.

I love it when I wake up at seven something, am depressed I have to get up, and then realize it's Saturday. That feeling is right up there with putting on my pjs.

I've been having really weird dreams lately. I don't really understand.

Day before yesterday, I dreamt that everyone in Albany had turned into a mix of a zombie/monster from I Am Legend. They looked like the latter, but they were completely black, and they walked like zombies, but when they decided to attack something they were crazy! Eric Lee, Husmann, Melany, and I (who had actually been in my car that night) were trying to get away in my car, and we drove into this random forest. We saw these other people looking for zombie refuge too and followed them to this water park (which had been in another dream from a long time ago! Isn't weird when things like that happen?). Once we were there, we forgot about the zombies and just slid down all the slides.

And just now I had a dream that Julia and I were trying on clothes in Wal-Mart, and Trevor was telling us to hurry up because there was a storm coming. And THEN the thunder woke me up! Is your mind blown?! Haha, just kidding.

Not really. Dreams are crazy.

The sun is coming out?! I feel annoyed. That was a wimpy storm. I would like some more thunder and lightning, please.

Well, I suppose I'm going to go back to bed for awhile since I went to bed late last night/really want to. I just wanted to tell you there was twenty-eight days until graduation, but then I got distracted and started rambling. Probably a side effect from lack of sleep.

-Maggie

Today skys are painted colors of a cowboy cliche.

2010-05-01T01:51:00.004-05:00

One of the greatest feelings in the world is putting pajamas on at the end of the day. Baggy shorts or comfy leggings coupled with my dad's old t-shirts? Comfort to the extreme. Not even kidding.

HOLD UP: "Airplanes" by B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams (Yes, I am fully aware it's mostly rap, but it's so good, I was able to overlook that.)

While the rest of the school was taking the TAKS test, the seniors were sleeping in and loving life. This past week has felt like summer. I've hung out with my friends almost every night, which we haven't done in ages thanks to sports and college English. We've gone to the parking lot, Dairy Queen, randomly showed up at people's houses--and that's the best kind of hanging out. Just talking, making Allsup's runs, listenting to music. I would choose a night talking in the parking lot over seeing a movie in Abilene. I'd much rather talk with my friends, who are hilariously entertaining all by themselves, than pay eight dollars for celebrities on a big screen to entertain me.

Summer's not my favorite season (I like autumn the best), but I'm excited for it all the same.

I don't like swimsuits, so I don't like swimming, and I don't like the heat. And when you go outside during the day, you either want to go straight back inside or jump in some water. So I guess I'm really only excited for the summer nights.

During the day, I'll just do what I do every summer: Sleep too long, and read in my room with the air-conditioner on full blast, fan on high with Schnookums curled beside me. Unless, of course, I go to a friend's house or Abilene, or am called to the sno cone stand. (I would venture out in any weather for a sno cone.)

But after about seven-thirty, I'll venture out of my hole and go on various adventures with my friends. Then I'll come back home and stay up much later than I should blogging, watching movies, textbooking, and the like.

And then we'll start the cycle over again!

In all honesty, I think what I'm most excited about this summer is all of the time I'll have to read all of the books I've collected this school year (and years before). I'm restraining myself until after I turn in my LAST English portfolio on Tuesday before I begin reading any book that's not Atonement. First on my list: Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I'm super excited.

Now, I am going to sleep. I'm not certain this post makes makes sense or is coherent, but oh well! You're used to that, right?

-Maggie

List Time with MMK*

2010-04-25T18:33:00.010-05:00

REASONS WE'RE EXCITED FOR SUMMER:
01. No more English!
02. No more Coach Britting. (From Husmann. He doesn't really bother me.)
03. I'll get to wear my fedora and stripey shorts all the time!
04. Many nights at the parking lot.
05. After graduation, we'll no longer have to follow a dress code at school. (Not that we're hussies and wanna wear shorty-shorts and low-cut stuff. We just want to wear sleeveless things and have holes in our jeans.)
06. "Life begins," says Husmann. Yeah, I don't know.
07. We'll all be eighteen.
08. Parties! (See list below)
09. SNOW CONE STAND! How could we forget?!
10. Various road trips we have planned. Hopefully we'll actually be able to go on one or two of them.
11. I'll have so much time to read! I'm so excited!
12. Colt will be home!
13. Graduation money = MacBook Pro for Maggie! HUZZAH!
14. I'm super excited for Conference, but also kind of sad because it will be my last one ever. :(
15. Trips to the lake/the party at Emily's.

DA PARTY LIST:
01. Rave: In the Dark Park (even though hobos live in the bathrooms, I swear) with glowsticks, but without drugs because those are bad.
02. Luau: Melany wants to wear her seashell bra again, and I want to drink out of a cup shaped like a coconut.
03. British Tea Party: Where we wear fancy hats and speak in a British accent.
04. Cook-Out: Many throughout the summer in various backyards.

WHY WE HATE MELANY:
01. She makes us bad people.
02. She is a bad person.
03. She lacks the ability to form adequate comebacks.
04. She won't buy batteries for her own Wii remote.
05. She threw a battery at my temple just now.
06. She is a homo without a home. A hobo homo.
07. She just tried to break my new fedora! WTC MELANY.
08. She threw another battery at me.

-Maggie

* MMK = Maggie, Melany, and Kaitlyn. We made it up sophomore year. It's legit.

2010-04-22T09:35:00.003-05:00

One week from today, this portfolio will be finished, and the only thing I'll have to worry about is my final. One week and I'll be able to really blog. One week until I am FREE from this TYRANNY.

I will see you again in one week.*

-Maggie

*I might see you sooner because I tend to procrastinate, but I'm going to try to stay away until I finish this thing.

All I want to be is the minute that you hold me in.

2010-04-15T23:26:00.006-05:00

To take my mind off the fact that of the seven stores my mother and I went to today there were only two dresses I found even worthy of trying on, I've made a lovely playlist. I feel like I need to share it with you. It's very chill, which is weird because when I'm not thinking about prom, I'm feeling very jazzed about life. IDK my BFF Melany why though.

All I Need - Mat Kearney
Then - Brad Paisley
Moving Backwards - Ben Rector
Your Love Will Never Change - Dave Barnes
Stay - Gavin DeGraw
Mark's Song - Eastmountainsouth
Pretty the World - Matt Nathanson
Kiss Me - Avril Lavigne
When a Heart Breaks - Ben Rector
Never Let You Go - William Fitzsimmons
All At Once - The Fray
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) - Chris Tomlin
New York to California - Mat Kearney
Breathe (2AM) - Anna Nalick
Suspended [Live] - Matt Nathanson
Unsaid - The Fray
Love Me Tender - Norah Jones
Maybe - Kelly Clarkson
I Don't Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow) - William Fitzsimmons
Dancing Shoes - Gavin DeGraw

Those are all faaantastic songs. If you don't have them, you should.

Before leaving tonight, I stopped by Books-A-Million to buy Will Grayson, Will Grayson.* After being bummed about it being sold out at their event in Austin (not to mention the whole prom thing), it was super great when I saw half a row of them. I picked the one with the least scuffed cover, and also picked up another of David Levithan's books, How They Met and Other Stories. I love collections of short stories, so I'm excited to read this.

I'm just loving John Green and David Levithan at the moment, in case you could not tell.

I can't read my new books yet though because I must get through Atonement for English. I wanted to read Atonement anyway, which is why I have a copy. But since I have to read it, it's making me want to read every book I have that is not Atonement. Oh, struggles.

-Maggie

* Oh, hey! This book debutted at number three on the New York Times Bestsellers List and I MET THE PEOPLE THAT WROTE IT.** I feel completely LEGIT right now.

** I feel like I'm going to be mentioning that I met John Green and David Levithan for a very, very long time.

The universe is currently conspiring against me.

2010-04-15T09:12:00.003-05:00

I've always had troubles when it comes to formals and proms.

All of the dresses I've ever gotten have always been beautiful, but I've only ever really, really liked three of them. My prom dress sophomore year, and my Winter Formal dresses junior and senior year.

Dresses aren't even the big problem though (well, until this year, but I'm getting to that).

Two years my hair refused to curl, and therefore had to be straightened (which felt boring). My prom shoes last year were two different sizes (and it wasn't like they were in a box and someone had mixed them up. No, they were bound together by those evil plastic things–the ones that require scissors to open them).

Then we get to this year.

When I was in Lubbock for Spring Break, we looked at their mall and at all the dress shops around the city and didn't find anything. I wasn't worried though; we still had a month.

A few weeks ago, I was looking on dress web sites, and found a short, poofy, purple dress that I loved, and my mom and I looked at more sites later and found a long, purple dress that I loved. We ordered both because I couldn't decide. The short one comes in, and is a size too big, but it was okay because I was leaning more towards the long one anyway.

But the long one never came in. My mom called today to see what was going on, and they said that it NEVER SHIPPED because they were OUT OF STOCK and they didn't think we needed to KNOW this.

So prom is two days away, and I have no dress, no mask, no shoes–no anything at all.

My mom and I are going to Abilene as soon as she gets off work today, but I was just in a Dillards in Austin and they didn't have anything, so my hopes aren't high.

I'm sure this is a very shallow, stupid rant, but I'm just frustrated because it's my senior prom, and a very wretched time for the universe to come after me.

Gosh.

-Maggie

Realization

2010-04-12T10:05:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day of my last "six weeks" of high school. Oh my.

I'll have more to say later when I'm not in shock/finishing a speech outline. There may be pictures.

-Maggie

Destination Awesome: Where in the World are Maggie and Melany? Part II

2010-04-09T23:25:00.004-05:00

Today is my birthday! I am eighteen now. The legal age to do a bunch of crap I won't be doing, except walking around the Mall of Abilene after five by myself.

Life is good, kids. Life is good. I can call you kids now because I'm eighteen. Haha, I'm just kidding. I don't even feel like I'm eighteen. Probably because I'm not buyin' cigs or lottery tickets or getting tattoos, but if that's what it takes to feel eighteen, then I'm good feeling like I'm still seventeen.

Right now I'm sitting in Melany's brother's apartment on leather couch that my legs are sticking to because it's warm in here. Melany's sitting on the opposite end of the couch looking at a book she bought today. The only sound is the flipping of her pages, the clicking of my keyboard, and the rumble of the traffic below. From where I'm sitting I can see the Capitol building, lit up in all its glory, and if I move to the left a bit, I can see some of the UT campus--where I'll be tomorrow for ILPC. Austin is a beautiful city. I could see myself living here, despite all the longhorn crap.

When we woke up this morning, it took us awhile to get moving because, well, we didn't want to move. Once we'd finally gotten ready, we left for the mall where we walked around for quite a long time, and then we headed over to UT for Melany's communications tour. We didn't ever make it to the tour though. The website thing Melany printed out said to park in this one parking garage that just happened to be on the complete opposite side of where we were supposed to be. So once we got out of the car and started walking, we, of course, got lost. We walked around for nearly an hour, becoming grumpier by the minute, and finally decided to just head back to the car since we'd missed most of the session anyway.

BUT THEN, at seven Melany and I went to Book People for the Will Grayson, Will Grayson event, which was completely epic (aside from having to stand near the stairs the entire time. It could have been worse though; there were so many there that people were listening from the stairs and first floor). They read two excerpts from the book, answered some questions, and signed everybody's books. John Green and David Levithan are absolutely hilarious, and I'm so thankful and excited that I got to meet them.

Also, since Melany is such a fantastic friend, she bought a copy of Paper Towns, had it signed for my birthday, and gave it to me. I'll be giving her the copy I already have when we get back home, but she did that because she hasn't read any of John Green's books yet and wanted me to get his autograph. (I was planning on buying a copy of Will Grayson, Will Grayson at Book People and having him sign that copy, but, of course, they were sold out when we got there.)

I love Melany. And John Green. And David Levithan.

Meeting authors is so much cooler than meeting bands. Nerd life is so much better than regular life. This is an indisputable truth.

Going to that book event made me want to start writing books right away. I want to be an author so badly, to give people stories that they love and can relate to like all of these authors have done for me. There's a part of me that is absolutely certain that I can do this, but it's a small part, and it's trapped deep inside this pit of questions and doubt.

Oh, troubles.

Anyway, I'm going to write most of what I just wrote here in my journal and go to sleep. Or try to. There's a possibility that death by catching fire will happen before sleep does.

ZITCH ANIMAL STANDINGS: Melany--9, Maggie--9

-Maggie

Destination Awesome: Where in the World are Maggie and Melany? Part I

2010-04-08T20:11:00.003-05:00

The road trip with Melany to Austin started almost two hours ago, and we're still alive! Snaps for us.

We're almost to Goldthwaite now, in desperate search of a Subway in one these towns. I really want a sandwich.

Earlier we passed through Rising Star—the small town with the big twinkle! No, really. That was on their welcome sign.

Anyway, we're playing a new game of Zitch Animal, and Melany keeps trying to get points while I'm changing the score. We've added Zitch Roadkill to the list because there aren't many Zitch Animals in between the towns. There are a lot of cows though. For awhile we were playing Zitch Herd, but there were so many of them I could blog, so I forfeited.

The standings as of now: Melany—4, Maggie—7 1/2

Oh. My. Gosh. We're literally about five yards from Goldthwaite, like, I can see the city limit sign, but we had to stop so I could take a picture of this:

So we stopped in Goldthwaite at Subway (HOORAY), and now we are, like, I don't know. Melany says we just left Lampasas. She also says that if you're ever in Lampasa and hungry—do not go to the Flying Goose. At least, that's what she thinks it's called.

Anyway, Melany just said this, "I feel like a grown-up right now, but then I don't. I'm like, 'Wow, we're going to Austin by ourselves.' But then I'm like, 'Why'd they let us go to Austin by ourselves?'" Which is exactly how I'm feeling, but add that with SUPER EXCITED to meet JOHN GREEN.

Okay, I'm going to go now. I was going to post several little blogs while on the road, but I kept getting distracted, so this took up most of the drive. And the drive is four hours long and we have about fifty-five miles left, so you know I got really distracted.

I'll be posting throughout the weekend though, so be excited. Coming soon: John Green, and EPIC FORT.

-Maggie (via iPhone)

P.S. We've been making little videos with Melany's little camera, and when I get home, I'm going to stitch it together to make a video of epic hilariousness.

"What's Stephenie Meyer going to do when she runs out of sun cycles?"

2010-04-07T10:16:00.007-05:00

I've been running with my friends every day, and walking with my mom each morning and night since last Saturday. Last night, KaCee, Melany, Husmann, and I went to the track, and I would run two laps then walk one, which added up to six running, three walking. Right as we were about to leave, my mom showed up, so I stayed and walked two miles with her.

Now, if you can't do the math, that's four and a quarter miles.

I am dead right now.

It's going to be worth it though! When the time comes to go swimming with my senior class (which happens to consist of some of the most beautiful girls I know (i.e. Kaitlyn, Katie)), I won't want to go hide in the bathroom. Heck, I might even enjoy going swimming this summer if I continue to workout like this.

I have to keep working out though because my jeans don't fit comfortably anymore, and I refuse to go up to a twelve. REFUSE.

Ted, sidebar: I think that my iPhone knows it's getting warmer because it's been playing Sugar Ray and Jack Johnson for the past two days.

Anyway, I have two bits of exciting news.

First, my mother and I ordered two prom dresses because I couldn't decide/we didn't want to just get one in case it didn't fit because then there'd be a dilemma. One is short, bright purple, and "flirty," and the other is long, dark purple, and "romantic." I'm currently leaning towards the long one, but I'll have to wait to see how they fit and such.

Second, as you know, ILPC–the newspaper/yearbook convention–is this weekend, and if you don't know then now you do. ILPC in itself is very fun, but Melany and I are leaving tomorrow after school to head to Austin two days early! We'll be staying with her brother, Jeremy, and on Friday (a.k.a. MY BIRTHDAY) we'll go tour UT,* then we'll go shopping, and then at SEVEN at BOOK PEOPLE we will go see JOHN GREEN.

Since Melany and I are traveling to Austin by oursleves, I'm sure it'll be interesting, to say the least. I might keep y'all updated as the next few days progress. Being able to blog from my phone is a beautiful thing, you know.

-Maggie

* We're taking a "college day," and I say "college day" because it's not so much for me as it is Melany, and the trip wasn't so much about visiting UT as it is meeting JOHN GREEN. More info above.