How I Know You

Warning: this post might not make any sense.

The internet is a very interesting place to figure out you know very little about who a person actually is, considering you can be sure that most people reveal only exactly what you want them to know. It's funny, though, when you happen to take a glance into someone's past trapped forever on the net. For example, and dramatic effect, in middle school I had an "expage" with dancing palm tree backgrounds and the name Jumbilicious. True story. Painfully embarrassing, but still true.

On another, but, I hope, related note, I thoroughly enjoy people with great depth. In fact, I have been known to lose interest, fairly quickly, in those individuals who refuse to show me depth even when prompted several times to do so. Perhaps I am too demanding, but it seems to be that the more I request depth, the more I desire to see a person's real life inner self, the more that person withdraws from me. This process is nearly inevitable, predictable, so I can bet my assumptions are true.

I've often heard that relationships between two people are like a rubber band. I think Donald Miller wrote about this in his book Blue Like Jazz. (It's a phenomenal read. If you get a chance you ought to check it out. Most likely you will find yourself hooked). Back to the rubber band, when on person pulls away the other comes closer, when one comes closer the other pulls away. It's a very interesting idea, and I think it might happen to me. Only, what usually occurs is that I pull or push too hard and the rubber band breaks. It happens. A lot.  

So, back to the point. I think it is always very interesting to be able to see a freeze-frame of someone's life years ago. Especially someone who I think I have a pretty good grasp on. That's where the depth stuff comes in. 

My favorite kinds of people are the ones that can make me laugh, at first. In fact, I can sustain a pretty satisfactory friendship with someone who just makes me laugh, and refuses to offer me much more than that. But, it won't be lasting unless we reach the next plateau. After a friend has been proven with humor then we move on to the next round. We try out some serious conversation. It's really scary, and that's why most people probably never make it there. After a while the truly inevitable comes and they have to watch me cry. I'm not talking like a little mist. What I am referring to is the red-faced, barely breathing, soaked my shirt and everything around me, sobbing. It's terrifying and most people don't know how to react. However, if you've made it this far, and live, you probably have been eternally bonded with me and have no hope of ever escaping my friendship (sorry, sisters). Note, there are levels beyond crying but they are far too scary to mention on this blog.

I guess what I am really talking about is versatility, complexity, surprise. I love the friendships where whenever we talk or spend time together I learn something new. To be a bit self-assured, I love people that are as multi-dimensional as me. In truth, I love people who challenge me to be more multi-dimensional. I am inspired by people who are constantly chameleoning. And someone who can keep up with my volatility is very refreshing. "Human chameleons" are often viewed in a negative way because it seems as if they change too frequently and can't decide who they are. However, I think these people are just becoming more fully themselves when they have the opportunity to show their many facets. 

News flash: this is not a new idea. Polymath. Renaissance man. Homo universalis. Generalist. 

I don't think I mind being a jack of all trades. High price to pay. Jack of all trades, but master of none.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Savrdas

A couple weeks ago the sixth Harry Potter film came out. Our theatre, like most across the United States (and world), had a midnight showing in the wee, wee hours of that Wednesday morning. 

My mother called me about a week before the premiere to tell me that she was going to purchase advance tickets for the midnight showing. She asked me if I wanted to go, and made sure to point out the fact that I had clinicals that morning in Montgomery at 7 am. I reluctantly told her that she didn't need to get me a ticket because I could not attend the midnight showing. Clinicals are serious business, and waking up in time to leave town by 6 am is no small feat. 

As the week passed, there were constant reminders that the much-anticipated HP6 was near. All the old movies were playing on what seemed like every channel. Honestly, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince got almost as much media coverage as the death of the king of pop. Almost being the key word here. 

Anywho, as the weekend came and went the Savrda's were making severe progress on the previous Harry Potter movies. To exacerbate the situation, Allison was nearly drooling, with a video-game like, Potter-induced coma, as she read the sixth book that corresponded with this movie. Stupidly, I watched trailers online, my blood boiling as I thought about all the talking my family would do about the movie after they saw it at midnight. I couldn't take it any more.

After an encouraging conversation with my good friend we finally decided to risk it and see if the theatre had any more tickets left. I dialed the number of the theatre. The phone rang. No answer. Then the standard recording: "The movie times for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince are 12:01, 12:02..." I couldn't take it anymore. I hung up. I drove to the theatre, walked up to the booth, and sheepishly asked, "Are there any tickets left for the midnight showing of Harry Potter?" "Sure," he replied, "that will be 18.50" I didn't even care that it would cost a small fortune. I was going to see Harry Potter!!!!

It was a strange night in our house. We left home at 10:45 to arrive at the theatre at 11, for a movie that started the previews an hour later. We dressed up. IT WAS MAGICAL.

Here are some pictures chronicling the experience: 

Cassie on the way to the theatre. Note the look of excitement in her eyes and the fist gripping the handle. We couldn't be less than an hour early, so we flew to the theatre.

Allison posing with a Gryffindor cupcake that a friend at the theatre gave her. Note the Gryffindor rugby jersey. She's legit.

Yours truly really excited about the Potter that is about to ensue. Please notice my colors. I am Gryffindor through and through. (Minus that whole parseltongue thing).

Finally, a picture of the three youngest Savrda girls about to explode with joy just minutes before they let us back into the theatre.

The movie ended around 3 am, and it was everything I hoped it would be. Amazing. I got into bed around 3:30 in the morning. When my alarm went off at 5:30, I thought to myself, "WHAT WAS I THINKING LAST NIGHT?!?!?!" and then it hit me, "I watched Harry Potter and it was AWESOME." Granted, I did have to remind myself several times throughout my day why I had only gotten two hours of sleep, but I never regretted my decision.

Sometimes we do silly things. We deprive ourselves of sleep against all reason. But, I do have to say, it was entirely worth it.

Poem of the Week

This is completely serious. This is the poem of the week. I hope you enjoy it. It was the very first poem I ever memorized.

THE OCTOPUS

Ogden Nash

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus;
If I were thou, I'd call me Us.

Shameless plug

My younger sister started a blog a couple weeks ago. I think it takes a while for some people to get into the swing of blogging, you know, to actually produce quality posts. However, she has only just begun and is already quite good at it. Her posts show off her sharp vocabulary and unfailing intellect. The blog is funny, yet still delivers with worthwhile, heartfelt content. 

It's called, "For the Greater Glory", and I don't think it will disappoint you. 

Why I don't study

because...

...sleep is preferable.

...my room really is a mess. I should organize it.

...my drawer has been broken for a long time. Where's the hammer?

...my sister is in town. She lives far away. 

...I really need to listen to that new CD. 200 songs, yeah.

...my Mom asked me to go pick up dinner.

...the tests shouldn't be that hard. I studied a couple pages of notes last week.

...studying probably won't help that much anyway. 

...I need to spend some time with my family. 

...I need to practice my guitar. And go over all the songs I know.

...I need to hang out with my friends.

...I'm tired. I'm sleeping. I'm hungry. I'm restless.

...my pen ran out of ink. I need more paper.

...I need to organize my toolbox. And put the hammer back.

...I need to look at everyone's pictures on facebook.

...I need to call everyone I haven't talked to in ten years.

...blogging is too much fun.

All joking aside, I get tons of work done when I need to study. I should have two tests every Monday and Tuesday. Wait, I do. For the next three weeks. 

Under Pressure

This is not a call-out. It's an intervention. It's a bit of friendly encouragement.

Where are you, bloggers? You should know that I am waiting with truly bated breath for your next blog post. I check your blog every day at least twice a day to see if you have anything new for me. 

You are probably pretty furious right now. You're thinking it looks a lot like a call-out. But hey, I did not mention any names, so essentially I haven't really targeted you, though, really you know who you are. There is no hiding it. 

Furious. What else might be adding to your present fury? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I myself have been slacking in the prolific-blogging department. That's a new branch of the government, actually, the Department of Prolific-Blogging (DPB), and they want you. 

So honestly, I haven't blogged in a good while, and now I am going to give you some of the lame excuses you give me when I harass you about why you haven't blogged in "ten years", or haven't even begun to blog at all. 

- "I am too busy."

- "I don't have enough time."

- "My dog ate my blogwork."

- "I haven't had internet access."

- "I don't know what to blog about."

All of the above excuses are lies, and unacceptable except for the last one. But, I will tell you why, although it may be the truth, it's still not a good excuse. 

"I don't know what to blog about."

Admittedly, I often feel really at a loss for what to blog about. After all, I long so much for you to like my blog posts. They need to be witty, intelligent, and grab your attention. The subject needs to be something that you are interested in if it's even going to be half-way worth your while to read my post. So here is the dilemma. 

The intense pressure of pleasing you with my blog post, entertaining you, making you stop for two seconds out of your way-too-busy-to-blog-life to read a couple words from little ol' me, has been preventing me from blogging at all. Really, it's a terrible cycle. The lack of ideas equals a lack of blogging. The longer I go between blog posts the more the pressure intensifies, until it is so crippling that it prevents me from blogging at all. 

Therein lies our problem. But what can be done to alleviate this pressure? 

- More frequent blogging. 

- Pushing past the pressure and blogging about anything. 

There we have it. Okay, so this might be a call-out. I didn't mean to deceive you, but I knew you wouldn't read this post if you knew this was also about you and your excuses. But, seriously. (Phil Collins, anyone?-Note #1: if you understood that reference, you probably grew up in New Jersey or are a die-hard Phil Collins fan. Note #2: If you grew up in New Jersey you are a die-hard Phil Collins fan. Note #3: If you are a die-hard Phil Collins fan you are my friend.) 

Enough of the excuses. Stop worrying about your blog not being exciting enough. Stop looking for the perfect blog topic. It doesn't exist. And still, if it did, you would have to blog after your "perfect" post and it's pretty much always downhill after perfect. So go ahead and make that not-so-perfect-post happen. Ahora es la hora. Now is the hour. Now is the time. 

Open your blogger dashboard. Hit the "Create Post" button, and let the magic issue forth from your brain to your fingertips. Hit the "Publish Post" button, and enjoy the satisfaction of the semi-permanent, semi-public bit of yourself you just gifted to cyberworld. 

I just did. 

Wedding Toast- Best Man

This is the summer of weddings. I am very excited to support my friends as they join their lives together. As I have been more nuptially-minded, I stumbled upon the sweetest wedding toast I have ever seen. If you have a little time, you ought to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy1uWAm4SnI

That's all.