paper break

"Embrace each day with an enthusiastic welcome!" - Elder F. Enzio Busche

Yeah, I needed that today. Yes, it is in fact 1:47 in the morning and yes, I am still awake and sitting at my kitchen table writing a paper (well, technically taking a break from writing a paper at the moment).
But you know what? I'm thrilled. Life is awesome. I get to be in college right now... do you know how many people would love to be where I am right now but can't for some reason or another?
I am blessed. Everyone is blessed; you just have to take a step back and recognize the blessings. This day will be good... because I'm alive, and if that's the best thing I can find to say about some days in my life, then it's fine because that is still incredible.
Life should be filled with enthusiasm. Always.

Midnight.

I love midnight premiers of movies.
I always have. And I don't see that changing at any point in time.
The atmosphere in the theater is spectacular for midnight movies. Every person in that theater is passionate enough about the film to have stayed up so late and possibly stayed in line for hours just to be watching it right then. So they care. They are excited. They are slightly sleep deprived. All of these factors make them way more exciting than the average movie audience.
In midnight premiers, people cheer for everything. People are more apt to scream, laugh, and cry. When the good guy prevails, mass hysteria and joy ensues.
Also, the costumes. I know I've expressed my love for dressing up more than once before, but I LOVE dressing up in costumes more than anything! (okay, that was a bit of a exaggeration, but I tend to do that.) The extra passionate people dress up as characters in the movie especially if it's based on a book, tv series, comic, or is a sequel. I am typically, if not always, one of those passionate people.
The current midnight premiers that I'm most looking forward to are The Hobbit and Les Miserables!!! Both in December, and I can not wait! Don't worry, I will definitely be dressing as one of the dwarves. Unless, of course, I can convince someone to let me borrow their Gandalf costume (coughNatecough).
SO EXCITED!
My roommate may or may not have purchased 30 tickets to the midnight premier of The Hobbit... yeah, you heard right:
30
Even more impressive, all 30 have already been claimed. This is going to be rockin! An entire two rows of friends watching an incredible movie with us!

Recap of the birfday.

So I had a birthday last week, right? Well, let me tell you: that was one of the best birthdays I've had in a very long time. I think a lot of it probably had to do with the fact that it was a Friday. A lot of it was also because I have the best friends, family, and coworkers in the world.
My roommates brought me out of my room at midnight, as soon as it was my birthday and gave me gifts.

This is when I opened The Lord of The Rings Collectors Edition Pez Dispensers!!! You may not know my love for pez dispensers, but I definitely have an obsession there and this was the best edition to it ever. Favorite part? That the hobbits, Gimli, and Gollum are shorter than everything else. Bahahaha! THIS was a great gift from my roommate KayJoy.

Then my family came and took me to lunch that day. It was rockin. We went and Pita Pit it up and they are hilarious and wonderful. These are the two youngest of the brosephs - love them: 

Then my writing class was fun and they gave me treats, it was like I was in elementary again! :) And then one of my lovely friends took me out to dinner and even talked the waiter into bringing me a free eclair! And finally, that night was the beginning of the celebration of Halloween. I was Scary Spice and we fake party-hopped... I saw one of my VERY best friends of all time for the first time since he's been home from his mission! I was so so so happy! And then we went to multiple different dance parties that were lame and ended up just throwing our own in the living room. It was perfect. Seriously, I love birthdays. I love the extra attention that comes to you on your birthday and I love friends and gifts. SO GOOD! I'm 22!

All hallows eve.

Seriously, Halloween is my favorite thing ever. People are SO funny and clever. I love dressing up in costumes and playing an entirely new character. You can be anyone or anything you want, and it gives you a fun way of expressing yourself. Or not. Here is a list of some of the best costumes I saw yesterday around campus:
Judith Butler - know who she is? I didn't either. She's a feminist philosopher. And my co-worker dressed like her and he looked awesome.
A surprising number of Ash Ketchums
Squirtle
Snowman - this costume was so legit. The costume was a solid 7-8 feet tall and made of wool or something on chicken wire. The kid was just waddling around campus and it was so cool.
PSY - a couple of him. Some Asian men thought they were hilarious.
Miranda Sings - some very solid portrayals
All 5 original Power Rangers and they were fighting a guy in a banana suit. SO GOOD.
All sorts of Batmans. I particularly liked the one on his bicycle with his cape flowing.

I personally had three costumes this year. I was planning on having 4, but the penguin didn't actually work out... definitely next year. Last Friday, I was Scary Spice - with none of the other Spice Girls. I didn't get many pictures of this one. But here's the one we got (with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and a nerd)

During the day yesterday, I was my roommate Jenna. Terrifying resemblance? I thought so too.

Then last night I was a grandma by the name of Fanny Lever. I was a crotchety old woman; I don't know how to do a jolly grandma. And yes, my hair did smell like baby powder all night.

All in all, this was an incredibly successful Halloween. I love dance parties and friends and candy and costumes and fun. How perfect.