Once · Upon · a · Time...In · New · York · City

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

To my dear friends-You know who you are. You're the ones who have been through hell and back with me, have listened to every fear, every joy. You're the ones who have always-ALWAYS shown me unconditional love-and support.

You were there those years ago during the holidays, when my family held a funeral, holding my hand and taking long walks with me.

You were there a year later, inviting me into your home and your family's hearts on Christmas Eve, throwing ridiculous new years parties, and celebrating the changes we had all been through.

You were there our last christmas in high school together, as we gathered in the library, and in the Chorus hallways for one last Madrigal Memory together.

You were there that first cold christmas back from college, saving me from my family and celebrating the new year with cheap champagne.

You were there the year that I ate cold pizza alone for Christmas-calling me, checking up on me, and letting me know that I was not alone.

You were there last year, even when I was not, welcoming me home from my family to my friends with smiles and celebrations, and being together once again.

And you are here, in my heart, with me, always, this Christmas. Showing up at 9:00 at night to help me unpack in the freezing cold, offering love and support-as always.

I am-and have always been-blessed with the most remarkable people in my life.

I wish you all nothing more than your hearts desires, your dreams, your wishes, and your goals.

I wish you all that you might see in the Mirror of Erised-and for those of you who aren't sure what you're looking for, I wish you the realization that all you need is right in front of your eyes, if you only choose to see it.

I wish you love.

I wish you life.

And I wish you

A Merry Christmas.

So this semester has been pretty incredible in a lot of different ways.

Basically, this job is amazing, and it's time that I told you all about it. (Y'know, since i'm coming home next week)

Basically, I go to all different kinds of schools and teach kids all about how to be better people. We do all kinds of programs on pretty much whatever the schools want us to talk about. My personal favorites are doing programming on Bullying and doing programming on Self Control. I play many different characters in these skits, but I enjoy self control mostly because I get to play a pirate. Avast, me hearty! Now, there are SO many fun things about my job! Our office is in South St. Paul, and it's a pretty nifty place.

I work with one person-Nikki-And together, we create Team Slick. She is funny and fabulous, and has pretty crazy taste in music. We travel together, live on the same floor of the CLIMB house, and occasionally even have non-climb related fun.

Yes, I travel. Not incredibly far, but far enough. I just got back from a week long residency in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which is about 5 hours away. It was fun, and I came back with some nice memories and a lost voice.

SIGNATURE STORIES:

On our first long residency, Nikki and I journeyed to the land of North Dakota! We did some fun classes on bullying and harrassment for all the little kiddies in Valley City. While we were there, we experienced many things.
1.) That a place called "The Wagon Wheel Inn" is just as dumb as it sounds. We did have cable though, which was a welcome change, believe me!
2.) That Nikki is very serious about customer service. :-D Our waitress was a bitch. Nikki handled it. *washes hands of it*
3.) Eric and Mark are good travelling companions.
4.) That just because a kid doesn't look like they're paying attention, doesn't mean they won't remember you. One autistic boy kept shouting/moving during the class. The teacher apologized afterwards, (even though it didn't really bother us), and said she had never seen the boy act like that. Later, walking out of the cafeteria, this boy and I happened to meet on the stairs. He grabbed my sleeve, got my attention, and said, "Hi, Sara!!!". He then proceeded to tell me that I was very funny and that he laughed. Nice.

One of our members got sick, so I ended up leaving Nikki for a week and working with Eric, another team lead...And also in Waukesha. We had a lovely time.
-I got my own hotel room ALL TO MYSELF. GLORIOUS.
-Quality Inn's have hot cocoa ALL The time.
-Kindergartners think actors acting like Dinosaurs are HILARIOUSLY HILARIOUS LIKE THE FUNNIEST THING THEY HAVE EVER SEEN IN THEIR LIFE OMG.
-Almost all conversations can be held in the style of a lincoln douglas debate.
BUT-On the way back, (A 5 hour drive, remember), Eric and I were in the home stretch. No, seriously, like an hour away, and we spun off the road. It was scary. A policeman, and a tow-truck later, we were home again.

And, in our most current adventures, here are some of the highlights
-A 2nd grade boy telling a 2nd grade girl that "Something good about her" was that "She is very pretty", thereby causing the entirety of the 2nd grade class to collapse into hysterical giggles.
-A completely smokin' hot teacher for our last class. Don't think i've performed better in my life.
-While sitting with the kids, having a 1rst grader just sneakily lean up against me and practically fall asleep. (Yes, we were still performing. I was pretending to be a 1rst grader and when I sat down with the class, she just leaned over and put her head on my shoulder. It was quite possibly the cutest thing ever...)
-Basically just getting to interact with some of the best kids evar. They were nifty-they were very cool about being "Bystanders"-(All the people who see bullying happen), and were great audiences.
-We had a teacher that looked like Giles from Buffy! AND he sang the Dora the Explorer song when we were leaving!

We also do a lot of work with Shelter kids, which is really crazy and fun. The kids there are really outspoken, and definitely have opinions about everything. (Which is exactly the way that it should be) This is, of course, really rewarding work. These are the kids who need CLIMB the most, after all, and it seems like a lot of times, our classes really get them thinking and talking, which is fantastic.

CLIMBARET-
We recently had our super fun CLIMBARET party, and I performed two poems.
"Onstage at the Un-Club"-Jane Wagner
and
"What Teacher's Make"-Taylor Mali
It was just an incredibly fun night, and we all danced and had lots of good food.

POST-CLIMB
Well, i'll be back in Bloomington Normal on the 20th. I have an apartment, but not a job yet. (Although I have a couple interviews, etc) And for all of you who DON'T know this, i'm going to finish out this year working full time, and not returning to ISU. I'll be doing CAMP in the summer, and then it's straight back to School, but i'm finishing out my year off.

And, duh, i'll be moving in/unpacking on the 20th, so if anyone wants to help with that, you're more than welcome!

,,,This is not a lot of time to say goodbye to my friends.

...This makes me sad.

Right now, i'm concerned about how i'm going to fit 21 years into one small car.

I have So. Much. Shit. :-D

And even though i'm downsizing as much as humanly possible, it just doesn't seem to be working out that i'm going to get everything down there in one trip.

Which means I get to attempt to mail my things.

For those of you who know my woes with the postal system-You know why I am hesitant to mail anything, because it seems as if I am incapable of getting mail from one spot to another safely. :-D

What it comes down to, really, is my books.

I have a LARGE box of books that I am-more or less-refusing to leave behind. Those books are my friends, dammit, and I refuse to leave them behind.

You can take my clothes or other essentials, but i'll be damned if I'll desert my books. :-D

At Terminus, one of the ladies in my panel was a victim of Hurricane Katrina. They let the kids put whatever they wanted, their most precious stuff, in small-ish waterproof boxes.

What did the kids choose?

Their Harry Potter Books, of course! :-P :-P

Love, (And Other Indoor Sports)
-Sara

Sunday Afternoon-
Lunch at Subway...Again. Rather delicious.
Got back in time for...
Roundtable number Three Million-A Professors Roundtable-Discussions on the Pedagogy of Potter
-SUPER fun crowd, where I got to show off my Harry Potter lesson plans and meet up with other teachers to discuss the influence of Harry Potter in Academia. Just what I was looking for...Again, possibly more on this later...

Roundtable...Controlled substances in the Potterverse
-What a strange roundtable, but kinda cool. Discussed drugs in both the muggle/magical worlds, and what the parallels, influences between the two were. Questions like, "Do wizards slip potions into witches drinks at the hogs head? What would be the muggle equivalent of felix felicius? Etc. Etc., And so forth.

Last Roundtable...Albus Severus/Scorpius-Are they Harry/Draco 2.0 or something new?
-I am not a Albus Severus/Scorpius person-I tend to avoid the epilogue completely...However, this roundtable was fun because it discussed the differences between the generations and how to write next gen fic.
-For example, what would the effect of not living under the influence of a war have on the childrens friendship? Has Draco repented and taught his son different ways? Will Ron's children ever be friends? Was Draco redeemed by the time we see him, 19 years later? Great Character Study.

Was extremely grateful to be done with programming. As much fun as I was having, I was exhausted by the time these particular roundtables were over, and my voice was shot to hell from talking too much.

Slept, Swam for awhile.

Got ready for the BON VOYAGE BALL!!!

Which was awesome!

So, H'omg...The ball was great. Fun music, *kinda*, and better friends. Highlights include...
-"Party on Sasha!!!" "Stop partying on me, guys!"
-The pretty dresses, and Sasha's fucking amazing little red costume.
-Dancing, Dancing, and more Dancing
-*THAT* guy in a Dress
-Tangoing with Ginny, with a rose in my mouth
-"There's nothing I can do-Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Then Finally...
Last night of TEAM THIRD FLOOR
-Third Floor Ladies left early SO SAD
-Drabbling femmeslash...awesome?
-HOLY FUCKING SHIT, It's a Dinosaur! Jesus Christ, WTF?
FINALLY-Attacked Jedipirate in her room, helped her roomie pack...*kinda*, then wandered up to my bedroom to catch some sleep.

MONDAY
Slept through the breakfast. SO SAD. :-D
Woke up, packed, went to Slasher pool party...
Was not a slasher pool party...Was merely a Team Third Floor Pool Party, minus some key people, but was still awesome, and rather bittersweet.

I am seriously suffering from Post-Con Depression...I pretty much just want to be back with the crew at the Hilton, partying it up.

Ah, sweet summer. I cherish you more than you will ever know.

"Something unpredictable...
But in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life"

Peace, 'til next

-Sara

QUESTION OF THE PANEL FOR THE READERS OF THIS BLOG:
It was discussed by the younger participants that, with Harry Potter, we are dealing with a series that readers have, quite literally, grown up with. Readers are maturing as the books are, and thus, it is only natural for readers to seek an outlet for sexual expression.

Would you agree that FanFic is a healthy and/or creative way to deal/learn about sexuality for younger readers?

Roundtable #2-Percy Weasley, Prodigal Son
-Discussed the varying aspects that forced Weasley to break away from his family.
-Most Interesting Point was that, while J.K. Rowling adores her underdogs, Percy is a character that gets mocked ruthlessly by his family. He is a nerd in a family of jocks, but for some reason, very little is made of his brothers mockery/his family's misunderstanding by Jo. Should we really be surprised that he breaks away from his family?

QUESTION OF THE PANEL FOR THE READERS OF THIS BLOG:
What do you think was the leading cause of both Percy's rift with his parents, and eventually returning? Was there a single event, or was it, as Percy states, "A long time in coming"?

Roundtable #4-Neville Longbottom, the boy who was overlooked
-Discussed the varying aspects of how Neville becomes who he is-His overbearing grandmother, living in his father's shadow, being forced to live with the realism of seeing the damage done to his parents, (As opposed to Harry, who manages to find closure in death).
-Discussed the parallels between Harry and Neville, (Childhood, Leadership, etc...)
-Discussed why/why not NOT having Neville kill Bella was a good decision.

QUESTION OF THE PANEL FOR THE READERS OF THIS BLOG:
IF-Voldemort had targeted Neville, instead of Harry
IF-Alice had been given the same choice Lily had, and had sacrificed herself

...Would Neville have been able to defeat Voldemort? Could he have effectively become "The Boy Who Lived?"

Would Harry's parents have met some other fate? (Torture, like the longbottoms, etc...?)

QUESTION OF THE PANEL FOR THE READERS OF THIS BLOG:
It was discussed by the younger participants that, with Harry Potter, we are dealing with a series that readers have, quite literally, grown up with. Readers are maturing as the books are, and thus, it is only natural for readers to seek an outlet for sexual expression.

Would you agree that FanFic is a healthy and/or creative way to deal/learn about sexuality for younger readers?

Roundtable #2-Percy Weasley, Prodigal Son
-Discussed the varying aspects that forced Weasley to break away from his family.
-Most Interesting Point was that, while J.K. Rowling adores her underdogs, Percy is a character that gets mocked ruthlessly by his family. He is a nerd in a family of jocks, but for some reason, very little is made of his brothers mockery/his family's misunderstanding by Jo. Should we really be surprised that he breaks away from his family?

QUESTION OF THE PANEL FOR THE READERS OF THIS BLOG:
What do you think was the leading cause of both Percy's rift with his parents, and eventually returning? Was there a single event, or was it, as Percy states, "A long time in coming"

Drabble Number 2:

Drabbble #2-Snape at the Hilton

It had started as a somewhat desperate attempt to break the monotony of the small room and the daytime television.
(Jerry Springer-which amused him, and Oprah-which did not. )
But now, he just stood staring.
The practicality of the waterproof material was indisputable-it rather reminded him of the smocks he was forced to wear whilst working on a particularly troubling potion.
But, for the love of Merlin, why did they have to be small?
In the end, Snape reasoned that, if he could lie to the dark lord without flinching, he refused to be cowed by a Speedo and a hot tub.

SPENDING 5 AMAZING DAYS IN CHICAGO ATTENDING TERMINUS 2008!!!

So far, my impressions are what I expected-the fandom is so generous, so fun to be around. It's hard NOT to want to be dressed in robes and screaming things when you're around them.

On an interesting note-I've been outed-I have to start putting my Fic where people can actually READ them...We'll see.

Laurie is sleeping. I'm typing, and wishing I had gone to the pppooooollll.

For now, a Drabble in honor of the occasion...Poor Snape just doesn't get it in Muggle Society.

Snape at the Hilton

“Muggles.” Snape muttered, slamming the door behind him. Forcing his way past groups of girls walking and giggling through the hallway, he froze, slamming his palm to his forehead.
“…The Bloody Key…”
Pondering the ramifications of simply blowing the lock off, he jerked toward the concierge desk with a grimace…
“Again, Mr. Snape? You don’t…” The concierge paused, seemingly deciding that whatever it was that Snape didn’t do was fine, (in light of the freaky frock coat and deadly sneer, anyhow), and unlocked the door.
Snape heaved a sigh.
On the whole, he was not impressed with Five Star Hotels.

What did you do this past year that you’ve never done before?

Gave up on some friendships that weren't going anywhere.
Directed a play and had 500 people attend each night. Beautiful.
Got an internship in another state that i'm super excited about.
Lived in a house, not a dorm.
Made some amazing new friends.
Worked with Heartland Theatre Company for the first time.
Got an amazing Archery Certification.
Drew costume sketches that i'm actually proud of.
Signed up to go to a Harry Potter convention.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My brothers baby was born about a year ago-but not technically within the year.

Did anyone close to you die?
No, although someone close to someone close to me did, so that definitely affected me.

What countries did you visit?
Oh, what a sad question, since I have no answer! The US. That's it. But in my books...

What would you like to have this next year that you lacked this year?
More confidence in my own leadership abilities.
The courage to be wrong.
A better sense of responsibility.

What dates from this past year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The Vagina Monologues Performances, of course.
Several Parties.
Creative Drama!
Moving into the house.
My last day in the house.
Performances at the Coffee House.
The first day and last day of camp.

What’s your biggest achievement of the year?
Definitely directing the show! It was such an exciting time, and I learned so much. I was completely thrilled with the outcome.

What was your biggest failure?
Academics...My grades could have been better-but I am going to chalk that up to experience and see it as a learning experience, not a failure.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing too serious-a few colds, here and there-The ILSTU Flu, and recently, a pretty bad twisted ankle, but all healed up quickly and without any problems.

What’s the best thing you bought?
My Macbook! I LOVE IT SOOOO MUCH! SO MUCH! SO MUCH!

Whose behavior merited celebration?
The entire cast and crew of the Monologues.
My old camp staff.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'm pretty sure that these people know who they are, and what they did. But I would also like to emphasize that it was their behavior, not the people themselves, that hurt me.

Where did most of your money go?
Rent and Eating Out. Some home-improvement type things.

What did you get really, really excited about?
My Internship! I cried when I found out, because I felt like I had been waiting on edge forever, and I was excited!!! :-D

What song will always remind you of your past year?
"White Houses" for sure.
"Happy New Year" from Rent.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Richer or poorer? Thinner or fatter?
Happier, I suppose. I'm in a good place right now, and I have a lot to look forward too.
Richer, surprisingly, although not by much at all.
...No Comment. :-P

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stressing about school. Being Disorganized. Putting up with people's stupid shit.

How did you spend Christmas?
With my family in Georgia-it was pretty nice. I was very happy.

What was your favorite TV program?
I got a lot of pleasure out of Frasier this year, and Project Runway!

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I wouldn't say I hate them, but I simply have no interest in having them in my life anymore.

What was the best book you read?
Oooo, hard call! I really got a lot out of "Zen in the Art of Archery", but I think my favorite book-book would have to be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
Legally Blonde, the Musical, and the fact that I still have it in me to sing in front of people.

What did you want and not get?
Cast in a mainstage show.

What was your favorite film of this year?
Ironman was pretty amazing.

What will you be doing on your birthday, and how old are you?
Sleeping late, Cleaning, Possibly going out to a bar.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying:
Kicking Josh's ass at least once.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept for this last year?
"2 X 4"-Meaning I wore a lot of t-shirts with statements I believe in, thus hitting everyone on the head with my beliefs with a 2 x 4. :-D

What kept you sane?
Creative Writing
Musicals
My cat

What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Same Old, Same Old-Alan Rickman, although I really fell in love with Dr. Cox from scrubs, too. And Barack Obama. Yay!

What political issue stirred you the most?
Gay Rights.
Pro-Choice Legislation.

Who did you miss?
Right now? Alex.
For awhile now? Katie.
All Year? Michael.

Who was the best new person you met?
Now, wait a second, how can I choose this?
I didn't exactly meet Amanda this year, but I think that she and I have gotten closer-same with Claire. I was also really excited to meet the camp staff last summer.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned.
You can't make people's decisions for them.
And I learned how selfish and cruel people can be.

And I would say that, in general, I have a better sense of what I want out of life, and what I need to do to get it. I'm not letting anything hold me back now. Onward and Upward.

So, update, and a few questions...

So, as I sit here, slowly looking to unpack some boxes of clothes and transfer them, I can't help but wonder...

First, should I even bother unpacking anything? I'm doing some laundry, but, for the most part, this is all junk that's going to Camp with me. It's going to get chucked out of cardboard boxes and put in critter-proof, (the animals, not the counselor), plastic bins, and a trunk. So i'm not going to bother with bringing stuff out, really. I just have a lot of random junk, and I hate to be without it until June...

Second, WTF Is up with hangers? Honestly, I think it would be better for me to just get rid of every damn hanger I have. They make me miserable whenever I move, (which I do frequently, as i'm a college student), and they only cost $1 a pack at Wal-Mart.

However, on the flip side, there's also the point that they're plastic hangers, and throwing them out would be ridiculously bad of me for the environment. As lately, i've been trying to go a little bit more green, and instigate a "NO NEW PLASTIC" rule, I guess the hangers stay.

Thirdly, what does everyone ELSE out there do with that...Junk...that they have that they just can't throw away? I don't like leaving it with my mother, especially as her living arrangements are fluid right now, too. Old Dresses, Collections, Awards, Photo Albums-It doesn't make any sense for me to keep packing/unpacking this stuff and taking it with me, but I can't leave it behind or throw it away. Any ideas?

Fourthly-How do other people with the "Neccesities"? What do you consider to be vital? For example, i'm only taking "VITAL THINGS" to Minnesota...It wouldn't make any sense for me to do otherwise, but what's vital? And, how do I know I won't need that formal dress, or that particular book once i'm there?

Oy. I hate being a nomad.

1.) All done with school, twenty-three skidooo! I actually e-mailed my final essay today at about 2:00 AM in the morning. (this is because I am quite irresponsible sometimes, and forget to check and see if things I e-mailed get to the person they are supposed to get to...)

2.) Moved out of the House on Vernon, and into a classy one bedroom over by Raab Road for the summer. My kitteh and I are most pleased to be here, as I have a television and my own bathroom, and Kitteh has a large glass window with a bird feeder outside of it. It's like a big screen TV for her, and a big comfy chair beside my bed where she can keep an eye on me, but not get kicked while I sleep. This pleases Kitteh. (And me) Moreover, I have a very sweet deal here. It's not my apartment, really, it's my friend Jessi's, who will be taking care of Freckles in the Fall, and she has offered to let me stay here. Good times, yo. :-D

3.) Twisted my ankle putting stuff in the garage last night-pain. Lots of pain. Luckily, all I have on my agenda today is perhaps sorting some boxes out and laying around in bed reading.

4.) Soon, I get to see SHERWOOD, and CRITTER, and EMU AND CRICKET ARE COMING TO CAMP, and SNAPPY, and BUGS. In case you can't tell, I MISS CAMP AND WANT TO BE THERE!!!

5.) I got to read the silver charge for Sarah O, and Lisse, and Laura, even though she wasn't there, but it was at Redbird, and it was fun. :-D All of my old CIT babies are growing up! *tear*

Anyway...Night Night!