Trying New Things

Well, hello there!

It's been about 2 weeks since I last posted, and since then not very much has happened. I worked, I studied, I made some art, the usual.

The sibs and I went to see The Cabin in the Woods last weekend. Of course I was expecting something great, since Joss Whedon was a part of it, but I was blown away by how much I loved it. I was terrified and watched a lot of it through my hands, but I was also laughing uncontrollably. We all agreed that our favorite line was, "He has a husband bulge". 

Anyway, this week we got a new project assigned in my 3D Design class. It's a self portrait through materials that represent you. It got me thinking about what represents me. Sure, I'm an introvert who loves reading and drawing and watching a lot of tv but there is more to me. I think I'd like to use photos in my project; pictures of my family and friends and the things I like. But, I was also thinking about creating a series of photos of me basically trying new things.

I don't always consider myself to be the bravest person ever. I can't sleep with a spider in the room, I'm terrified of heights, and I hate needles. But I can be brave when the situation calls for it.

Let's rewind for a moment to Christmas break 2008. I went with my family and my friend Jessie to my uncle's farm in Virginia. Down a little dirt road there's an old cemetery in the woods. All the graves are empty and the stones are barely legible; it's awesome during the day but a little more than creepy at night.

So, one night me, Jessie, the sibs, and my dad and uncle decided to take a trip to the cemetery because creepy things can be fun. I brought my camera just in case we found anything cool.

As soon as we entered the woods, everything went quiet. The flashlights died, the phones died, and my camera died. It was just like a horror movie. (I'm still convinced it was ghosts that caused this). 

About 2 minutes later we all started hearing screams. All I could think of was "drunken teen hunters with knives who are going to kill us". My uncle made this worse when he said in a low voice, "Hey, who's out there?", only to get louder (and closer) screams in response. 

At that point I wanted to get out of there. My dad and uncle are "tough guys" who aren't afraid of anything, but I personally did not want to be murdered. 

I decided to fake cry so my dad would take me seriously; in a cracked voice I whispered, "Dad? I think...we should leave". 

Finally the screams were right near us and we all gave up on standing up to them, (I had previously shouted "yeah thanks for scaring us. Happy new year"). We all started to run back to the road, screaming. 

There are only flashes of the next minute or so in my mind. The first is the moment right before we started running. Jessie hugged my dad and even though I was afraid, I thought (and still think) it was extremely funny.

The next part I remember is my dad falling into a bush while we were running. He simply looked up and started laughing, but in my fear-crazed mind I only thought about needing him there. There was no way I was running out onto a creepy road without my dad.

So, I lunged for him and pulled him up with my right arm. I guess it was an adrenaline rush because it was really easy to do.

By the time we got back onto the road, my uncle was cracking up, explaining that it was just the neighbors and that they had planned this horrible night.

It was an interesting evening. Anyway, my point is that I can be brave when I need to be. I'm not about to leave anyone behind in a crisis. And this led me to wondering, am I brave enough to try a bunch of new things?

As of today I decided I must be. So, I'm making it my goal to do something new, even if it's just cooking dinner. I'm sick of sitting back worrying about what might happen, because, even though it's so cliche, you never really know until you try it.

This post kind of went in a different direction than I was planning, but I guess that's okay. I need to go to sleep now; I have a 3 hour class at 9am tomorrow. Woooo!

Recommended Listening:

1. I Hurt Too - Katie Herzig

2. Some Nights - Fun.

3. Glockenspiel Song - Dog is Dead

4. Just a Game - Birdy

5. Don't Go - Rae Morris

6. For Blue Skies - Strays Don't Sleep

Books Read:
1. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

2. Percy Jackson Book 5 by Rick Riordan

3. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

4. The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Currently Reading:

I'm rereading the first Harry Potter for the second time in my life. It's been 5 years since I first read it!

After that I'm starting Jacob Have I Loved. :P