Claire

[SIZE="1"]Almost halfway through [B]Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince[/B]. I haven't read it since my freshman year in high school, so it's like an entirely new book. I just blazed through the past five books in a couple of weeks, too. I'm revisiting the series so I can finally pick up [B]Deathly Hallows[/B], which I've never read.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I hate being home alone at night. I'm sure my family knows this, yet they went off without telling me they were leaving or even bothering to check if I wanted to go with them. So I was stuck all by myself in my house for two hours, unable to leave because my car is getting repaired. I love how much they care.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Oh god, I just can't read long things. I can't do it. I try and an inevitably fade out, resort to skimming, then give up entirely. The only thing I want to say is that the idea of soda being a staple is really not idiotic at all. It's pretty much a staple in my household (and I am from a white middle-to-upper class family). My mom has been purchasing boxes of Diet Coke weekly for as long as I've been alive, and probably even before that. My dad indulged on Mountain Dew in the 90's before he gave soda up entirely because of some nasty kidney stones. Beyond soda's inclusion on weekly grocery lists, you need to examine how many soda machines are present in public schools. I can't even remember how many were in my school. Nowadays the bottles cost $1.25, which, for an unemployed teenager (or at least this one) is not cheap at all, yet somehow does not hinder sales at all. In tenth grade I bought some kind of soda every single day, before I got sick of all my options and the price went up. The machines do have bottles of water, but my issue with it is that, being Pepsi machines, they only offer Aquafina. That stuff is probably the worst tasting water I've ever experienced. I feel like its an addiction that doesn't even have anything to do with caffeine (my moms Diet Cokes are free of that stuff).[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Today I played Pokemon Stadium 2 with a friend. There's not much to it other than battling, which is a little boring, and the mini-games, which are hilarious. I also re-visited Ocarina of Time for the first time in a while, but since I'm stuck in the Water Temple I didn't have much to do other than go fishing for a few minutes. I haven't turned my DS on in a few weeks. I really need to finish Pokemon HeartGold.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Ace'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Infernape committed two horrific sins that prevent me from liking it. The first one was basically BEING BLAZIKEN. We had this exact Pokémon one generation ago. The only difference is it looked cooler.[/font][/quote] [SIZE="1"]Oh god, I completely disagree. Yeah, they have the same two types, but if you're picking between them based on appearance alone Infernape wins. Blaziken is just...a fire chicken. That's kind of laughable.[/SIZE] [quote name='Ace'][font="comic sans ms"]Torterra was an awesome ankylosaurus with a continent on its back. doesn't get much cooler than that.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]If I had any use for grass pokemon I'd love Torterra. I just don't need them. Hopefully the new grass starter will have a cool final evolution, unlike RBY and RSE. Bulbasaur is a total badass and Ivysaur is pretty cool too, but Venusaur is like a fat grandpa who doesn't give you money when you visit him. And I really hate the Treecko family. I think the one time I decided to start with it I had to give up on training it shortly after it evolved into Grovyle because it was just utterly useless.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I took Spanish for two years in high school and never really got the hang of speaking it. Of course now that it's been a few years since my last class I can't remember what little I learned. I'm taking Italian next semester. For some reason I've been in love with Italy for a while even though I don't know any more about it than I learned in my European history class. It was kind of a struggle for me to pick between that and French, though. At the moment I kind of wish I'd signed up for French instead. I have a friend who can speak French fairly fluently and it would be awesome to have a conversation with her in that language instead of me getting all hot and bothered at it.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Ace'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]As for the starters, I'm a little disappointed, but none of them seem to be Chimchar-bad, so I'm okay with them. I take back what I said about the otter, though. Its nose is going to distract me. I'm gonna have to see their final evolutions before making a choice.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I can see myself picking the otter more than I can the other two. A fire pig just doesn't sit very well with me, and I never ever ever go with the grass-type. I've also gone with the water type in every single game before hand; my first ever Pokemon was Squirtle at age 7 or 8. Of course I could just end up doing what I did in Platinum and leaving my starter in the box after a decent amount of time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]How can we be absolutely sure those are official and real? I personally find this design to be much more probable: [URL="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2av3pkRFp1qzxegjo1_500.jpg"][U]click![/U][/URL][/SIZE]

[quote name='Sangome'][FONT="Microsoft Sans Serif"][SIZE="1"]Aw, come on, now. We all know we all secretly want [I]these[/I] as the starters: [CENTER] [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u273/wintersidhe/500x_bw8.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] *runs and hides*[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"] Jeez, I was just about to post the exact same thing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Titanic is on TBS. The commercial breaks are as wonky as hell, but I'm so happy. I've been in love with this movie since I was six years old. I was so mad when Avatar beat it as highest grossing movie, but I'm so happy they are re-releasing it so its ticket sales can set a whole new record.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Here's Emily Deschanel again: [IMG]http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ktq81u7Nqg1qatj63o1_400.jpg[/IMG] And here we have Emily Haines, from the band Metric: [IMG]http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l1wh8kXIkG1qzjn78o1_500.jpg[/IMG] LOOK I actually find a guy attractive: [IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2521387133_90c27a5159.jpg[/IMG] ...and that's it. [/SIZE]

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]Speaking of which, I should take this opportunity to force a ham handed segue into a frivolous topic, in keeping with the rest of the thread: does anyone else here feel the same in terms of wandering? I mean, going for a walk - especially in a city - and simply enjoying the sights and sounds, without necessarily having something specific to do?[/font][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I'm not much of a wanderer for a variety of reasons: 1) I can only go so many places on foot or bike, I know for a fact. My neighborhood is situated in between three major roads with only a few interesting places reachable without crossing any of them (including a big music superstore, Sam Ash, and the library). Neither I nor my parents want me to cross a major road. 2) I have a car, so if there's a place I want to go I can just drive. It's a lot more convenient than trying to walk anywhere, though unfortunate because I wish I could be more environmentally friendly. My city just isn't very conducive to the improvement of the environment, though, it's the third largest city in the state. 3) I pretty much already know where everything is over a large area. The places I don't know so well are the shadier, less safe places, so there's a good reason why I don't know them, and why I don't really plan on knowing them. 4) IT'S TOO HOT. It's barely been May a week and it's between 80 and 90 degrees outside, but the worst thing is the humidity. I could walk outside for ten minutes and get drenched in both sweat and atmospheric moisture, so basically wandering would be one of the most disgusting things I could do. 5) I hate going anywhere without knowing what my destination will be. I used to try to ride my bike around for a while just to get some exercise, but just meandering aimlessly is so ridiculously boring that I always ended up coming home early.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I had a friend take some pictures of me back in January, and I really like this one.[/SIZE] [IMG]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-sjc1/hs177.snc3/20462_1222719883896_1105920131_30536690_6895943_n.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='chibi-master']Except I'm not looking for love right now. I'm looking for someone to date. I'd be a fool if I thought I could find "THE ONE OMG" at age 15-18. I have no interest in finding a soulmate right now, as I'm just too busy and will be for the next 3 years or so. I'm just looking for at least one relationship so that I'm not completely akward by the time I'm ready to seriously date (which will be a while).[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Practice makes perfect, I guess, though I'm not sure how I feel about it when it comes to relationships. Maybe if I'd had some things would be different now. But still, life is easier just assuming that there will probably not be anything like that for me ever again...or at least not for a long time. I'm too cynical, and downright apathetic. It kind of helps with a lot of emotional strain. In other news, I absolutely cannot fathom why people so often say that some music artist they don't care for has "no talent." I honestly can't stand a good amount of what's popular and I never really could, but I'm not about to say that any of my most disliked groups have no talent. Justin Bieber, for instance. He knows how to sing. His problem is that his songs are annoying and very displeasing to me. Same with the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and pretty much the entire country music genre (which means every single music artist my sisters love). Like, I seriously have to leave the room whenever my sisters have "Party in the USA" or "Baby" playing. They get stuck in my head so easily and it drives me up the wall. And I get really miffed when people say Lady Gaga has no talent. I don't understand how people can be so blind to it. She has a powerful voice and can actually play an instrument and write her own music. And her songs are musically interesting and fun. However I will be the first to admit that the Black Eyed Peas are legitimately awful. [URL="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l0tyb1vM2x1qzxzwwo1_500.jpg"][U]AWFUL[/U][/URL]. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]Because half of the rest of them "have one" (whatever that means) and it kinda-but-not-really seems like you're left out? Meh. Make y'own time.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"] This was pretty much my philosophy throughout high school. I never saw the point in relationships because I was not interested in intimate acts like kissing or greater, and because I felt it was impossible to find the one person you could be with forever when you're only 15, 16, 17 years old. Then all that changed pretty quickly when I actually fell in love with someone. I'm back to not caring about relationships, though. For one thing, I haven't even made a single new friend this year, so there's no real eligible girlfriend candidate. And I'm not about to get involved with someone I've already known; partially because I don't feel *that way* about any of my current friends and partially because I've already done it and pretty much ruined the greatest thing I've ever had in my life. (I've had a fairly dull, uneventful life). Anyway, I wish people could share my point of view. I get so tired of hearing people wishing they had a significant other, or being so desperate for intimacy they try the first person who shows any interest. It makes no sense to me, because I only really care about such things when there is actually one specific person I'm in love with. tl;dr, I feel wordy and thoughtful right now.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]Either way you look at it, it's a pretty flaccid outlook.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [size=1][U][url]http://www.instantrimshot.com/[/url][/U][/size]

[quote name='CaNz']i desire to be a dick teacher.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]An educator of male genitalia?[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]My textbooks cost over $400 at the beginning of the semester. I just sold them back for $43 in cash. [/SIZE] [SIZE="4"][B]ಠ_ಠ[/B][/SIZE] [SIZE="1"]Good thing I didn't pay for them out of my pocket. Hooraaaaay scholarships.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Sometimes I remember that I'm in love with certain people and all I want to do is plaster pictures of them everywhere I can. Zooey Deschanel: [IMG]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4267656530_07546131c8.jpg[/IMG] She's an actress. She was in Elf, Bridge to Terabithia, Yes Man, (500) Days of Summer, blah blah blah. She's also the singer in one of my favorite bands, She & Him. Go listen to their song "Sentimental Heart" if you want to cry. Fun fact: Her middle name is Claire, which just makes me so happy. (Cause it's my name). Emily Deschanel: [IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2808903897_1eda1595c1.jpg[/IMG] Zooey's sister. Also an actress. She plays the titular character in the TV show Bones. Anna Phoebe: [IMG]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/4135571787_fc0783e5f5.jpg[/IMG] I first saw her on stage playing violin for the incredible Trans-Siberian Orchestra when I was 14, and have loved her ever since. If TSO ever comes around here without her, I think I might actually die. She is pretty much a goddess. I've met her a few times and she actually remembered seeing me, even though she hadn't in a whole year. That was so amazing. She's also super British, which is just darling. Tegan Quin: [IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3306/3595353781_eb8773ea38.jpg[/IMG] One half of the band Tegan & Sara. The other is her twin sister, but to me they are fairly easy to tell apart. The reason I'm listing Tegan alone is that I've had a major crush on just her since I started listening to the band. She's responsible for the songs I can relate to the best, and the ones that make me want to curl up and cry forever. But her personality is also pretty beautiful; she and Sara are funny as hell and just generally awesome people. (The proof is in the [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTErjg4Sm4k"][U]pudding[/U]![/URL]) At the beginning of my senior year in high school, one of my friends decorated the interior of my locker with tons of pictures of Tegan and Sara. I felt super gay every time I needed to put my books away. Okay, so, yeah. Feel free to gush over your hot crushes. Or maybe just Derek Zoolander.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]I love rain. It's such a beautiful sound?even the cars driving on wet roads?and I love lightning. I just hate being rained on.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I'm the same. My mood improves tremendously when it's raining and I've gone from being terrified of bad weather to being in love with it. But when I have to go out in the rain, that's different. If I have no umbrella, I get so angry.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]It's gone back to being hot and humid here. I live in such a nasty city, climate-wise. But I've been on summer vacation for a couple of days now. College rocks because summer vacation starts when it's still spring! I don't have to go back to school until AUGUST.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I don't even have the patience for grinding. I have over 150 hours logged in Platinum since I got it last March (of course I often went for months without playing it after I graduated high school because it was boring without any people playing beside me), and my highest leveled pokemon is only 75. It doesn't really help that my very first pokemon, Empoleon, has been sitting in my box since I don't even remember when. You know, I could hardly even muster the patience to feed my pokemon 60 rare candies back in the early days. I really need to send my HG team back, but all my Pokemon friends are too busy to help me make the trade. [/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I wish I could get into competitive battling. I just don't really have the necessary patience for EV training OR breeding for the right nature, or the mind for either pre-planned or real time strategy. Some of my party pokemon have move sets ripped straight from Smogon, but the wrong nature and no EVs. I mostly just use it to get a leg up on the actually challenging NPC battles in the game, and so I can stand a chance against Kevin (Goodbye, Face) when we battle. He's actually got a competitive team with a subpunching Breloom and a powerful Electivire, but I somehow managed to beat him a few times. This is my Platinum team right now: Juno the Garchomp (adamant) lv. 71 (Stealth Rock, Fire Fang, Dragon Rush, Earthquake) Athena the Rhyperior (hardy) lv. 70 (Megahorn, Stone Edge, Avalanche, Earthquake) Infernape (got in a trade, adamant) lv. 72 (Flare Blitz, Close Combat, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch) Noel he Weavile (lonely) lv. 74 (Ice Punch, Swords Dance, Night Slash, Brick Break) Charlotte the Gardevoir (bold) lv. 70 (Psychic, Hypnosis, Magical Leaf, Thunderbolt) I also use a Swampert sometimes, but he's not as strong as the rest of the team and only has two good moves, Waterfall and Earthquake. As long as I have two ground pokemon I don't really need a water type. I'm thinking about breeding an Electivire, Luxray, or Lanturn, though. EDIT: JESUS, yesterday I breezed through the Elite Four with only five pokemon and it was no problem, but Cynthia just killed me. It was her damn Spiritomb. No weaknesses is such BS. I don't even remember how I took it down yesterday. EDIT EDIT: So I'm trying again. Against Aaron's Yanmega, if you think Fire Punch will be enough to take it down in one hit, you are mistaken. FML.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]This is actually a DPPt request. If anyone has any Blue Shards they would give me, let's trade. I only need a few, but have a lot of Yellow and Green Shards, or Heart Scales. My info: Tegan, 1290 4212 2011.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Korey'][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"]Who's Mr. Maul again?:confused:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]OB's #1 most ignored member. Obviously![/SIZE]