PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS POST

Hey, yeah, so...update on the PLL thing. It was just some behind the scenes special, so I got all hyped for nothing!

*Note to self: recycle that last post to January 11th*

But the good news is...SHADOWHUNTERS IS ALSO PREMIERING ON JANUARY 12TH!!!

'Kay, that's all for now ;)

PLL ON TOMORROW!!!

OMG OMG OMG!!!

Guess what's airing tomorrow...PRETTY LITTLE LIARS!

I only recently got caught up to the show over the summer, so I've only seen about 3 or 4 episodes air on TV (including that exciting season finale with the A reveal), so I'm VERY excited to be watching it tomorrow night. It also helps that I have no classes scheduled on Wednesday, due to the day-before-Thanksgiving festivities, so I don't have to worry about staying up too late afterward to finish my homework.

Oh, and so I heard that Spencer and Toby broke up at some point during those 5 years between the A reveal and tomorrow night's episode...WHAT?!?! I LOVED Spencer and Toby together, why did they break up?!?! Well, I suppose we shall find out tomorrow. Maybe they'll have some sort of dramatic reunion at some point this season. The best I can hope for is that Haleb stays together (Haleb: a.k.a. my PLL OTP). As for Aria and Ezra...well, I really don't care what happens with them, because I hate their characters. I hate them. I don't like anything to do with them.

OOOoOoOoOoOoooOOOOOhhhhh I'M SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW!!!

See y'all on the other side ~ Erin

NaNoWriMo

Happy Halloween! I've got some news...

I'm participating in my first NaNoWriMo!

I've heard about people doing this before, so I thought I'd try it this year! I already have a story planned (somewhat), and I've written the first few sentences (better than nothing). I'll try to update as often as possible, and possibly share pieces of my story here!

Eek I'm so excited to be writing a book!!!

Gosh I'm a nerd.

High School Helper Part I: Taking Notes

Hello to my many readers ('cuz this blog is sooo popular). Since we're pretty much into the school year at this point, I thought I 'd start a new blog series called "High School Helper." You don't have to be in high school to take the advice - I just liked the ring of "High School Helper."

Anyway...

Today's post is going to be about note taking. If you're reading this post, I'm assuming you're at an age when your teachers are expecting that you are capable of taking your own notes. Notes are extremely important, since this is what you'll be basing your study guides on (I'll get to those later). Everyone learns differently, so I'm going to try to address as many techniques as possible.

First, you're going to need something to take notes on. Depending on what your school allows, you may want to consider using a laptop or a tablet. If you're good at typing, this will definitely help speed things up, and will ultimately allow you to get more information down. I'm the kind of person who likes to get everything down from lectures, so typing is a great technique for me. 

If you are using a laptop for notes, I'd definitely recommend using Google Drive. It's pretty easy to organize and share files, and as long as you are connected to WiFi you can access them anywhere. For iPads, Notability is a great app. You can type or handwrite your notes on this app, and like Drive, it's pretty easy to organize and share your files. Also, if you do use this app, always remember to back up your files. Unfortunately, devices do crash, so it's important to make sure you've always got a copy stored somewhere. Notability is a paid app, but it's definitely worth the investment. For both of these, don't be afraid to make folders! Personally, I like to keep a folder for each school year, folders within for each class, then each semester/quarter, and then, finally, each unit. I know it seems a bit excessive now, but it makes it very easy to find a file whenever you need to revisit it.

Now for you handwriting folks. This year, I've found handwriting my notes to be very helpful. Actually, I just had my first English assessment this afternoon, and I was definitely more confident having a hard copy of my notes. For handwritten notes, buy a notebook for every subject. Even if it means carrying around a separate notebook for your personal doodles and writing, keep your notes separate! I can not stress this enough! Binders are helpful too, since you can easily store any handouts your teachers provide, but I find that they're often clunky and heavy. If you'll be using folders, develop some sort of filing system at home so that you can organize the notes that you won't need again until your exams. If you ever forget to bring your math notebook, for example (because we all do at some point), use another notebook for the day, but label the subject at the top of the page so it doesn't get mixed up with your notes for another class. Finally, and this is important, learn cursive. It seems unnecessary, and I don't even think they teach this anymore, but it's so helpful. It's much easier to write because you don't have to pick up your pen as often. And it doesn't even matter if it looks messy; you can always rewrite them later (actually that's even better - you'll become more familiar with the content). As long as you can understand it, you're doing it right!

For the actual formatting of your notes, here's an example of what they might look like:

Finally, know that you do not need to take everything down. Only take down what you think is important to remember. If you know that Catcher in the Rye was written by J.D. Salinger, do not write that down. Instead, take that time to write down something else. Write down the comments your teacher is adding instead - those might be important later!

Well, I hope this has been helpful. Please feel free to comment, because I'd love to hear your techniques and also, I'd like to know that you actually exist. Thanks for reading!

- Erin

How I Met Your Mother Finale

(Spoiler alert!)

So I just finished the How I Met Your Mother finale on Netflix today...

Before I continue - yes, I'm doing alright. So far I have managed one social interaction within several hours of completing the show, during which I was briefly distracted from my intense emotional wounds.

Okay, so I did actually like the ending, to an extent. I LOVE how Ted met Tracy, and I LOVE that Lily was pregnant, and I LOVE that Robin and Barney got married.

I did not like the aftermath so much.

WHY DID ROBIN AND BARNEY BREAK UP?!?!?! I loved them together. I don't know why, but I thought they were a great couple. Better than Ted and Robin.

AND WHY DID TRACY DIE?!?!?! 8 years. Ted spent 8 years looking for her. 8. FREAKING. YEARS. And then she HAS to go and get sick.

I did, however, kinda sorta like the VERY end, when Ted goes and gets the blue French horn and he and Robin end up together. Because Ted's kids were right: it WAS a story about Robin. But also Tracy. I liked Tracy, she was funny. Okay, back to the point. And it all comes back to that German thing Hans talked about in (forgive me if I'm wrong) season 8. Ted did know as soon as he met Robin that he loved her. But same with Tracy.

It's fate! It's all fate! Everything happens for a reason!

Sorry, it's been a very long day.

I'm going to go to bed now and try to think about something other than what has been my favorite show for the past couple of months.

Maybe I'll actually be able to read now. Or be productive.

I like the reading idea. I'll do that.

Joining too late... (repost from my Tumblr)

I posted this a while ago on Tumblr. It's by far one of my favorite things I've put online (especially since Hank Green liked it!), so I thought since I need content on here I'd share it:

n regards to pop culture and nerd culture and, you know, culture in general, I often feel like I started too late. Like I missed out on all these awesome things and when I go back and try to experience them I’m not really getting the full experience.

A few years ago, when I first started high school, my sister and I had this obsession with TeenNick. We’d watch all the great shows (a.k.a. Drake & Josh and Zoey 101) of our childhood. Anyway, the channel would always advertise Nick at Nite and they’d be like “come and watch all the great shows of the ‘90’s that you know and love” and “you know you’re a '90’s kid when…”. And before then I always thought that I was a '90’s kid, but I realized that I really wasn’t - I don’t remember the '90’s, I was just born then.

And then you get to now - Nerdfighteria.

I would most certainly describe myself as a Nerdfighter, but I feel like I missed all the stuff that made Nerdfighteria what it is. I only just started watching Vlogbrothers in my freshman year, when I finally convinced myself that the internet wasn’t full of creepy stalkers (yes, that was all I heard at school until roughly 7th grade - “don’t trust anyone on the internet!” But that’s a different story…). Anyway, I never knew the Brotherhood 2.0 days. I never knew Esther. TFiOS was the only reason I even found Vlogbrothers, and I guess, watching YouTube in general. People on YouTube always make reference to 2007 and '08 - the good 'ole days - but that was 8 years ago!

I’m getting to the point where I feel like I’m growing up too fast, but sometimes I feel like I missed out on all the fun parts of the things I love.

Six Word Memoirs

Being me, I waited until the last minute to do my homework, of which one assignment was a Creative Writing prompt asking me to write a six word memoir. I watched the suggested YouTube videos, sat down, and began to brainstorm. Finally, I came up with (coincidentally) six finished memoirs, then I narrowed it down to three. I thought I would share one with you, which happens to be my favorite:

To Do:

• Read

• Write

• Imagine

• Live

The first bullet expresses my love of reading, which is so important to me that I decided it belongs on my Life To Do List. The second shows my aspiration to be a writer, or to at least contribute some form of written word to the world. The third sorta encompasses the first two, but I thought I'd be all fancy shmancy and throw that in too.

And finally, the fourth one: Live.

Sometimes I get so involved in other people's lives (such as those of characters in books, TV shows, and my own stories) that I forget to live my own. When I get like this, I often feel like I have to remind myself to participate in my own story.

I thought I'd share this with you (whoever "you" are) in case this is a common issue - I'm assuming it could be.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment with your six word memoir!

- Erin