(no subject)
1. Name: Laura
2. Age: 20 (oh lord, I'm old
3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
England. Maybe somewhere in the London area (hey, close to all those musicals!). I know it's not quite the "magic land" of my dreams as a child, but it still seems incredibly appealing. For one thing, American Football does not exist over there, but is replaced by a rousing passion for soccer (which, even though I'm not a huge sports fan, is infinantly more fun to watch). There's the whole appreciation for tea thing. And the weather--I'm a fan of cooler, greyish weather. Food...I'm a big fan of the whole meat and potatos sort of thing. So long as I still have a can of Tony's (spice) with me. But there's something a bit more mellow about the place that I just like. And, y'know, boys with accents...
'Course, I'd need to be able to Apparate so I could visit my friends and family back here.
4. What would your Room of Requirement look like?
There'd be a really nice drawing table that was well lit and had plenty of Bristol Board, pens, pencils, and other art supplies (maybe some of the things I'm too cheap to shell out for, but would like to try). The walls would basically be bookshelves, filled with artbooks, comics, and really good novels. There'd have to be a squooshy couch to sit/nap on, and plenty of nice notebooks to write in. I'd need some form of background noise, so a small tv or a radio or something like. Probably a radio. There'd be a few affectionate cats curled up in various places, and a little terrarium with a green tree frog (I think they're soothing to watch/hold). Colors would be comfy dark reds. No windows, just a nice cozy nook to do all my crazy me stuff.
Every now and again, when I needed some noise and movement, it would turn into a room with a good dance floor, loud Swing music, and lots of really good partners (guy leads, that is). Because nothin's more fun that Swing dancing.
5. Who is your least favorite Harry Potter character?
Hermione Granger. I used to really like her, but after HBP...oy. It's not even that she had a personality overhaul--it's that all of her flaws from the past have just become glaringly obvious. It's one thing to be a smug know-it-all, but Hermione just pushes it. She's incredibly self-righteous. She can't see the forest for the trees--her whole problem with the Potions book was bizarre--doesn't she realize the only way potions are invinted or bettered is by experiementation? She should've swallowed her pride and learned from the book, since obviously the potions information was sound. She dated McClaggen for the sole purpose of making Ron jealous, even though she hated him (McClaggen)--why not be a little bright and do a jealousy date with someone you can stand at least? Ron going to Lavender felt more like he was testing the waters, trying to find a girl who didn't constantly belittle him. Her attitude with Ron was sickening--jinxing McClaggen because she didn't have faith in the boy to save his own goals. And the the glaring hypocrisy when she fussed at Harry for only pretending to give Ron a Potion. Cheating is okay, so long as Ms. Hermione Granger does it.
I guess that's the thing. There's Right and Wrong for everyone else, but if Hermione has to do something that's Wrong, then it's justified because the other person deserves it.
6. Is the glass half empty or half full?
I ordered a cheeseburger!
No, seriously, half-full. So long as you're alive (well, I suppose alive and mobile), you can get yourself out of anything and fix any situation. It may be a bit of a messy fix, held together with spit and a prayer, but it's a fix.
7. Give us a quotation (Can be from a famous person, a song, or even a poem-whatever you want) you feel represents your life or personality.
Just one? Oh, never. So...Pardon Me, While I have a strange interlude...(Groucho Marx):
"If things get too much for you and you feel the whole world's
against you, go stand on your head. If you can think of anything crazier
to do, do it." -Harpo Marx
"Dancing through life, skimming the surface, gliding where turf is smooth...no need to tough it when you can slough it off as I do"--Fiyero, Wicked
"You know, they tell ya to never hit a man with a closed fist but it is, on occasion, hilarious."
"Now this here is a recipe for unpleasantness." -Malcom Reynolds, Firefly
"Have gone through toughest wicked. No longer dead on red. Everything buckety-buckety. Xanpno Mapcase."--Telegram sent to a friend by Harpo Marx while in Russia for no other purpose than to give the Russian counterspy department a heart attack.
8. In your life, who comes first: family or friends?
Me. Well, no, not really. I suppose friends come first. Family (biologically) are people who're stuck with you, whether they want you or not. Friends choose you, and that makes all the difference in the world. Of course, it gets to the point where friends might as well be family, or, in the case of my siblings and my Dad, my family are my friends as well, so I'm not sure how that comes into play.
9. What is your favorite childhood memory?
Um...
What comes to mind is making a "Love Potion" in the backyard with the neighborhood boys one day. Basically, anything red went into a big bowl of water (flowers, apple cores, wild strawberries, ribbon...) and probably a good deal more besides. We fed some to my dog (who was already the most affectionate dog in the world) and pronounced it a success when she licked my hand. Then we remembered my friend Mikey's little sister's dog--a little dustmop of a yapper that always nipped at everyone. We went to his backyard, climbed into the treehouse, and whistled for the fiend. When she came yipping out, we poured the whole contents of the bowl over her. I can still hear Mikey's little sister wailing at us for drenching the pooch. "MI-KEEEEEY!" Ah, good times.
10. What would you say is your biggest flaw?
Procrastination is the one skill I've managed to master, KP, don't knock it.
As I type this, I could be looking for a job. Or getting to work on my freelance job. Or working on my Christmas cards. Or learning the harmonica. Or adding to my portfolio. Or reading a book. But this is the least pressing, so it gets done first. Because it's just more fun...
11. If you had been at Hogwarts during Harry’s fifth year, do you think that you would have joined the D.A.?
Well, many signs point to me being a Slyth, and if that's the case, then I suppose the invitation wouldn't've been extended. Even if I were a Gryff, I tend to not know people who know what's going on. But had the D.A. ever come to my attention, I would've snapped up the chance in a heartbeat, because I like learning more, especially if it's effective stuff, and I seriously love things like secret clubs and "sticking it to the man." (Oof, you shoulda seen me when our school implimented uniforms...I tried my best, I did).
12. Describe how you react to difficult or stressful situations.
I get through them. I think that's all that there is to it. I react, and that's that. For example, when I was living with my mum, home life suddenly got very stressful. One day, when I'd decided I'd had enough, mum had parked the car in a semi-familiar neighborhood and left to pick something up. I just got out of the car and started walking. I live with my Dad now--problem (mostly) solved.
I really can't tell how I'll react to any situation until I'm in it. If things pile up, I get a bit panicky and confused. But for the most part, I just deal with it, and see where I am once it's all over.
13. Which do you value more: compassion or justice?
Justice, tempered by compassion (extra compassion if I'm the one being judged, please?). Sometimes I think absolutes just make things easier. Harsher punishments for truly awful things seem like they'd deter them more. Drunk Driving, for example, needs a harsher punishment. There should be a set of rules that are followed. Heck, I'll even enforce 'em. ...but I might not be following them exactly my own self (oh, I'm a naughty hippogriff hypocrite). Rules are made to keep people from getting hurt. Those should be enforced. Stupid rules that can be bipassed...should be.
14. Would you say that you’re a child at heart, or that you have an old soul?
Child at heart. I'm less mature than a lot of my older friends. I like my illusions, and I'll keep them, thankyouverymuch. I like playing and tickling and cheesy comicbooks and cartoons and books I read when I was younger and pretending that the world is a nice place where nasty, unpleasant things don't exist. Like a child, when I get mad, I get good and sore, and someone's in for something...granted, I'll probably be in even more trouble afterwards but still...
15. Which Hogwarts House do you think that the Sorting Hat would place you in?
This one's up for debate with me sometimes. On one hand, I'm very Slythy--I can talk myself insto Slytherin. I know when to pick my battles most of the time, and a bit manipulalative and slippery when I don't feel like doing something. I can spin a tale of little white lies easy as breathing when I need to make an excuse for something.
On the other hand, there's a lot of Gryffindor in my too. I'm a Christian. I have enough of a moral code so that I don't use my knowledge (specifically how to rip off the various places I've worked at) for evil. I can be subtle, but most of the time I'm blunt, brash, and loud, because it's just easier most of the time. I like the warm, fuzzy feeling you get from helping people out...just not enough to go out of my way too often.
Either way, I've got the vicious streak that seems evident in both Houses, but most of the time, I'm a bit too lazy to act on it.
16. If you have a picture of yourself and feel comfortable posting it, please do so! Pictures are fun!
I don't do photos all that often--horribly unphotogenic. And none of my Holyhead Harpy costumes photos came out *weep* But here's one:
Me and my posse before the opening of RotK (I'm the Warrior!Pippin):
Me protecting our Marty Feldman-esque Frodo from a Dementor that thinks it's a Nazgul:
Danke, all.