Gryffindor

It seems like I have a really hard time adding to this blog very frequently and, because of that, every other post is a life update. I personally enjoy life updates, particularly when they are for people I know, but if you don't--feel free to skip this one. I should have a legitimate post with something other than updates on my life on this site soon, so just sit back and I'll bring it to you soon enough.

Where should I begin? My burn is all healed up. I have a scar that I'm supposed to be putting cream on to reduce its visibility (that I keep forgetting to use), but other than that I'm all good. It healed up rather nicely.

For those of you who haven't already heard, I also have a job now! Thank God! I am now a salesperson at a video store about twenty minutes from my home and I really enjoy it. I've been employed there for about a month now and I'm still learning, but I'm getting into the swing of things now. I'm definitely glad I was able to finally get a job. That search took way too long! So now I have an income. *Does happy dance.* Plus, I get dollar movies free. Success!

LeakyCon was wonderful! LeakyCon, for all of you non-Harry Potter nerds out there, is a Harry Potter Convention run by Melissa Anelli (author of Harry, A History) that was located in Chicago, Il. this year. I took a road trip across country with my brother and, barring a few unpleasant circumstances on our way there and back, it was a wonderful trip.
LeakyCon itself was amazing. I have never seen so many nerds in one place! It was so cool to be surrounded by all of these other people whose lives have been seriously impacted by J.K. Rowling's book series and who love it just as much as (or more than) I do. Harry Potter jokes were told, received, and understood by all. And it was so much fun to meet someone and immediately ask, "What house are you in?" The funny thing was that Mitchell and I mostly made friends with other Gryffindors (he and I were both sorted into Gryffindor on Pottermore), though it was entirely unintentional. We made friends with people in other houses, but somehow ended up getting along with Gryffindors the best.
LeakyCon Lit was also exceptional. I won't harp on it much here, but I did write a post about it on my book blog that you can see by clicking this link.

Our parents came back stateside during our absence, so when we got home our parents were there. We hadn't seen them since May, so it was definitely exciting to see them again. The only downside was the reason for their return: Mitchell was going to college.
Mitchell went to college about a week after our return, but that hardly seemed long enough. We all drove up to his college as a family and stayed there for a few nights before finally having to say goodbye. Saying that it was pretty emotional would be an understatement. That last morning, there wasn't a single dry eye. Mitchell barely managed to stop crying before class and I cried all the way back to the hotel.

My brother is my best friend, so it was really hard to say goodbye to him. Still, I'm excited for him and this new stage in his life. I know he'll do great and make lots of friends. It's just hard when you've had a best friend that's been at your side since the moment he was born and then knowing that this is probably  the last time you'll ever live together or spend all of your time together. It was rough, but I know we'll both be okay. Besides, I get to see him in about two weeks, since family weekend is coming up. I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Well, that's about all I've got for this update. I need to get going anyway. The guy I occasionally nanny for just called and needs me to come by in less than an hour. Better go get some food in my stomach and some makeup on.

Have a blessed day!

What is a Nerd?

Celebrate your nerdiness!

I'm currently reading American Nerd: The Story of My People and finding it insanely interesting. It  is, as expected, a very nerdy book that explains the history and dynamics behind what is commonly considered a nerd.

In the beginning of the book, Benjamin Nugent, the author of the book, gives his opinion of what exactly a nerd is. I agreed with him on some points and disagreed on others.

I, having been classified as a nerd by myself and many others, thought it would be an interesting exercise to write a post on what my definition of a nerd would be.

So here we go:

1) A nerd is almost always an enthusiastic learner. We enjoy learning new things and knowing that we're storing away knowledge. This doesn't, however, mean we're great at everything or enjoy learning about everything. We all have specific interests that we love amassing information on. For example, my brother is more of a tech nerd, so he's more interested in learning about javascript, html, and css. While I've dabbled in html, tech is not my expertise. I'm an avid reader and comic bird nerd that knows more about the technicalities behind tattooing, sociology, and DC Comics trivia than your average girl.

2) Nerds generally enjoy a good cosplay. I honestly haven't ever met a nerd who doesn't enjoy dressing up as their favorite character from a book, movie, or graphic novel. I've met a few who are more shy about it, but never one that thought the idea was stupid.

3) Nerds are passionate about at least one thing that isn't a social norm. I've noticed this just recently: there are some things it's socially acceptable to be passionate about (ie. sports, your occupation/future occupation, mainstream television shows, or even academics to an extent) and other things that aren't okay because it's not what everyone else is passionate about (ie. superheroes, sci-fi, too much reading, or video games). 

4) Nerds rarely enjoy massive amounts of physical activity. This one is more relative because I've seen a few exceptions to this, one being my younger brother. Generally, however, we tend to participate in activities that require little to no physical exertion. Common exceptions to this, however, are any activities that have an obvious nerd factor or make us feel more like the fictional characters we admire. Sword play/Fencing, other fighting techniques (ie. Tae Kwon Do or kick boxing), and fictional games (ie. Quidditch or water-bending wars) are the major categories of these exceptions. Generally these at least appeal to the majority of nerds, whether they pursue them or not.

5) Nerds have a large variety of different personalities. Unlike the generalized model one is often acquainted with, we come in many shapes and sizes. We can be arrogant or humble, introverted or extroverted, confrontational or non-confrontational. We aren't all cookie-cutter copies and we have a plethora of interests that span a wide variety of topics. In fact, I'm quite certain I've never met a nerd who didn't want to be a Renaissance man/woman (aka. someone who would like to be skilled in many differing areas, see Leonardo DaVinci). 

So that's a rough list of what a nerd looks like to me. You may agree or you may disagree. If you have something to add/comment on, feel free to leave it in the comments!

Neglect

I've decided that it's high time I stopped neglecting this blog and use it for what it was intended to be-- an outpouring of my quirky and strange personality into print.
So here's what's going on in my life right now:
1) I'm currently living in a town called Waxahachie with my soon-to-be-married best friend, Kerri. I work at a daycare that she found me a job at and I love it. The kids can be terrors sometimes, but I adore them (most of the time). I spend most of my time with Kerri and her fiance (who spends every waking moment of his free time at the house), except when I go visit my hometown on some weekends.
2) My family (aka. My parents and younger brother) is currently living in Paris, France. No, we're not French-- which is very obvious if you've ever met my very Texan self. No, we have only been living there since August (as well as the three months spent thee in 2009). I go back on December 20th and will be staying there until roughly April.
3) For the few of you who read my post at the beginning of the year concerning my wanting to read fifty books this year-- I'm currently a fourth of the way through book fifty now! Maybe I can hit sixty by the New Year?
4) I participated in NaNoWriMo this year. (Google it.) Sadly, I failed, seeing as I kept rewriting because I didn't like the first few chapters. However, the program did give me enough of a push to actually start writing the story that's been bouncing around in my head for months now. I'm 7,849 words into it and it's titled, "Loyalties". So let that jump-start your imaginations.
5)Lastly, for those of y'all who follow me on FanFiction, I'm still working on the "We Run the Papes" sequel. I haven't scrapped it or anything, so you can stop holding your breaths. Oh, and I've titled it, "How the World Turns". It might change, but I like the sound of it. So, then again, it might not.
So there's your five point update on the life and times of Kirsten Erin. Hope things are interesting enough for your tastes.

deviantART Favorites

I feel like a heathen.
Yes, I'm fully aware that I haven't updated in about two months. I'm sorry... I just had nothing to write about. Hopefully I'll be able to amend that soon. I have plenty of ideas running through my head right now. Yay!

I love deviantART.
It's such a creative outlet for artists who just want to put their work out there and bless us with the fruits of their labors. You can even buy their work there! Whoever had the idea must be banking right now.
I was first introduced to deviantART through FanFiction. I'm a writer and reader of quite a few categories on FanFiction.net and many authors/readers use deviantART to post visual representation of characters, scenes, and ideas from what they read/write.
I was re-introduced, however, by Girls Gone Geek, a fantastic blog by two women who are deeply in love with comic books, like myself. They have made some great finds that have gotten me back into perusing the deviantART world again!
Therefore, I would like to show you a few of my favorite art pieces found on that very site, in hopes of giving y'all the opportunity to share in the sheer giftedness of these artists.

6. Bat Kids by MeesterFinchy

Featuring Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Timothy Drake-Wayne), and Red Hood (Jason Todd). I love how deeply this symbolizes their relationship as brothers/friends/enemies. Poor Dick is always having to run around and keep his younger brothers in line. Jason's always causing mayhem- half the time causing Tim bodily harm. And poor Tim, who seems to always be hurting emotionally and, most of the time, physically as well.


5. Sapphira by RenaHikari

Sapphira Adi is a character from the Raising Dragons series by Bryan Davis. This picture represents exactly how I imagine her, which is awesome, but beyond that- look at that pencil work! The sketchwork is simply breathtaking.


4.Catty Titans- Dick's Underoos by JBadgr

Years ago, when Robin was first introduced, this is what his costume looked like- "scaly underoos" and all. In fact, it took three Robins to change it. Tim was the smart one who finally said, "Hey, why don't I add some leggings to the this insanely awkward getup."
So it's not beyond belief that the Titans would have a few things to say about his "scaly underoos". I mean, put those glowstick thighs away, please!
Beyond the hilarity of this piece, I have to admire the way JBadgr draws Roy and Wally's faces. They're fantastically well done!

3.Jingle Bells etc. by Tragic Ballerina

Disclaimer: There is a thinly-veiled curse word in the second panel.

Tragic Ballerina has quite a knack for "crack" comics (aka. crazy, weird, the-artist-might-have-been-on-crack comics; see "crack fiction" for more information). The hilarious take on the ever-popular Batman-ized Christmas carol will have you cracking up!
The artwork is great and very cartoonish, a perfect fit for the nearly cartoonish humor.


2. Cold Combat by Jackademus

Batman (Bruce Wayne), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), and Robin (Timothy Drake-Wayne) battle Dr. Freeze in this chilling* piece. This piece looks like it came straight out of the pages of a Batman comic book. Each character is done near perfectly. Amazing work!

*C'mon, you knew I wouldn't be able to resist the pun!

1. Kid Flash by m-lin

Go ahead. Make it your wallpaper and send it to all your friends.
I already did.
This is my absolute favorite so far and I doubt that'll change anytime soon. Not only does this breathtaking portrait feature my all-time favorite comic book character- Flash (Wally West)- but the shading is to die for. And don't get me started on how gorgeous those brush strokes are!
Kid Flash wins as my number one deviantART piece!!!

There were plenty of other pieces of art that nearly made this list that I found, but these are my final (and, I think, well made) decision. So now that I've piqued your interest, why don't you do some browsing and find yourself some favorites of your own!

My Thoughts on Fan-Based Movies

There are thousands of movies out there and even more coming to theaters every week. Nearly all of us watch them. Nearly everyone has a favorite. I, personally, have watched about 6 movies in the past two days, since I've been confined to my dorm room attempting to stay warm. (In case you haven't heard, Dallas has been ravaged by ice in the past few days.)
I digress.
Many movies, both recent and old, have been based off of sturdy fan-bases. From the popular Batman Begins to the disappointing failure of The Last Airbender, from the fan-freakin-tastic The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian to the disappointing Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we've all seen them.
There's a danger in adapting our favorite comics, books, and cartoon shows into movies, though. And it seems that the 'misses' far outweigh the 'hits'.
Why am I bringing this up? Well, with major comic book names like Green Lantern and Superman on the horizon, trying to live up to hits like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, while battling the shadows of Eragon and The Last Airbender (and for Superman in particular, fighting tooth and nail to get past Superman Returns)- I am legitimately concerned.
This is the reason I've never been one who begs for big screen representations of my favorite fandoms. I know Hollywood and I know that far more often than not, they make me wish I wasn't a fan in the first place. Sure, I'd love to see my favorite comic book character, The Flash, in his own feature film IF THEY DID IT RIGHT. However, I'm far too scared that they'll botch him up so badly that no one will have respect for him any longer.
I'll not give the lecture on accurate representation of the actual characters, no matter how much I want to strangle the creators of Green Lantern already. (The ring chose Hal Jordan because he's virtually fearless, and yet they're already saying in the trailer that he's never been fearless and now the responsibility of being a Green Lantern scares him. Are you kidding me?!)
My point is, by looking at the history of movies based on previously established fanbases, don't expect too much.You'll probably be disappointed. I've learned from one of my best friends to go in with low expectations. If it's bad, you won't be as disappointed; if it rocks, you have something to be excited about.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news. And you'll definitely find me standing eagerly in line outside of the midnight showing of Green Lantern, the Superman reboot, the Spiderman reboot, and many others (even Marvel movies, of whose comics I am not a fan, but I have trouble resisting anything superhero-esque when it comes to entertainment). I'm just prepared, after seeing all that I have, for it to be ill-represented.
So, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, even if the ridiculously hot Ryan Reynolds doesn't do you justice, I still know how awesome you are!!

Fellow Whovian: Charlie McDonnell

This is Charlie McDonnell, YouTube sensation in the UK, a member of the Trock (Time Lord Rock) band "Chameleon Circuit", and an avid Whovian. Of course, the latter is what mainly endears me to him and the British accent just makes the videos far more enjoyable to watch.
Yes, I think I've developed a celebrity crush. :P
The newly twenty year-old Brit has swept his way into the hearts of thousands of Europeans and a few awesome Texans who realize that both Doctor Who (and this kid) are sorely underappreciated in America. So go check out some of his stuff. I prefer the actual vlogs and his rants about Doctor Who (and his songs are amazing!), but you may enjoy some of the crazier stuff he does, like drink ketchup or color himself purple.

Website: charliemcdonnell.com
YouTube Account URL: youtube.com/charlie