I'm A Geek

Have you ever seen those people who get excited about certain things that don't seem to matter in the long run? That aren't even true, but love the stuff anyway? Like Trekkies. And Twilighters. Those "Mrs. Cullen"s. Whatever, I say. I smirk at their obsessions like everyone else. But I'm also human, and I'm a geek, too, so I know people smirk at me sometimes, too. Feel free to do so as you read this. :) But what am I geek about, you may ask?

• The Lightning Thief series. If you've never heard of these books or don't know what they're about, this will fill you in. If I lived in New York City, I would have been at the premier in a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

• Jane Austen. This may not apply to me in full because I (don't hit me) haven't read the books. I know. Very bad. But I like the movies...does that count at all? My mother says I can't buy the shirt that says, "I randomly quote Jane Austen," (which I do) until I've actually read the books. I'm getting around to it...:)

• The Rebelution. I check the website every time I'm online for their latest blog post. It's so incredibly refreshing to read anything by the Harris brothers. This is a good geek-thing.

• Chuck. The TV show about that be-Conversed, bumbling, adorable spy who loves his partner agent (but won't admit it) and works at an electronics store in the Nerd Herd as his cover. I love it. My family will testify to the fact that every time it hits eight o'clock on Monday night, I can be found shrieking, "Chuck is on! Chuck is on! I love you, Chuck!" to the screen.

Yes, I can be very pathetic when these things are anywhere near me. Like I said, I'm human, too. But I gotta admit, I love life even more when Chuck is on, or when I'm reading about Percy and Annabeth and Grover, or having a bi-weekly P&P movie night with my mom, or checking in with other rebelutionaries, so I guess it's worth it. :)

The Tunes

How 'bout the songs I listen to? I've got so many I love and then wear out, but some just keep coming back for special occasions.

1. Pumpin' up tunes - Bring 'em Out by Hawk Nelson, It's All About You by PureNRG, and Jump by Van Halen (of course).
2. Sleepy-time tune - Silent Night by Celtic Woman (yes, Christmas song, but it's in the most beautiful language ever...it's the old language of Ireland, I think?).
3. Pre-band competition tune - August's Rhapsody (see playlist!) and Bari Improv by Mark Mancina.
4. "Why am I here?" moment tunes - Lost Get Found by Britt Nicole and Tears of the Saints by Leeland (the first song that made me cry in a concert).
5. When I just want to be a teenager tune - Because You Live by...(yes, I like him)...Jesse McCartney. (Smite me.) Oh, and Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade, and Apologize by OneRepublic. Wow, didn't realize just how much of a teenage girl I am.
6. Good ol' tunes - Monday, Monday by the Mamas and the Papas, Day O by Harry Belafonte, and The Way You Look Tonight by Steve Tyrell.

Can you relate to any of them? Any suggestions for other categories?

Ick

Do you know that feeling? The little pinch inside that says, "That's stupid. You're stupid. Why did you do that, stupid person?" Well, I do. I really don't like it that much. Here's an example...
I was walking down a hallway, and truly, I'll admit, I was pathetically trying to look cool, like I had somewhere I needed to be, like I had it all together. Right. Interesting how our conscience works. I'm convinced that it was bored and felt like picking on me. It whispered a little snickering message to my arm, and then to my hand. "Fling the water bottle across the hall!" it said. I hope it had fun. I did, and it worked. To make it worse, the cap on the bottle broke, and the little water that was left went everywhere. "Stupid, stupid Elyse!" it said.
Well, no, I did not succeed in appearing the least bit cool. In fact, I'm sure I looked pretty klutzy. That little pinch had a good time. I didn't.

Feminism...Sort Of

Feminism is great. Wonderful. Fantastic. Without it, women would still be mostly looked down upon. No voting. No equal pay. No higher positions or promotions.

Perhaps (most likely) you've seen or read Mary Poppins. You know the mother of the children in the story? She's a suffragette. Like, a completely obsessed suffragette. Never home, never caring for or disciplining her children. She's so caught up in the cause that her first duty is forgotten. Now then, here comes my true appreciation for feminism, because so many women risked so much for their rights. For that I'm very, very grateful. But perhaps we forget what a woman's first priority is - being the helper of the genders.

Our culture has told us, ever since womens' rights, that being the helper is bad, very bad. I'm not saying that that's the calling of every woman, but it's what we were made for. And that's not a bad thing. We've bought into that lie and have settled for less, when women should be taking pride in being feminine and the role they therefore play.

I'd like to maybe share that with a few people, through an original oratory speech next year - why it's important to remember to be feminine while being feminist. The speech is supposed to be persuasive. What do you think? Would male judges appreciate the topic as well? Would a woman who is very pro-womens' rights even listen? Would you personally agree with this topic if presented well? Give me some feedback! I'd love to know your thoughts.