(no subject)

[akk8]

I hope this makes sense, it's very late at night (or morning, more accurately!)

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
  Something related to writing, such as being a regular contributor writing for a wizardry magazine of sorts since I love writing and it would be kind of fun always searching out new things in the wizarding world that readers might be interested in.
  
  
• If you could teach one class at Hogwarts, what would it be and why?
  Possibly history of wizardry or even history of Hogwarts (I know that sounds weird) since I always find history of particular places, locations, etc very interesting. I'm a History Channel geek. :)
  
  
• This year, The TriWizard Tournament is being held once again and you're of age. Do you put your name in the Goblet? Why or why not?
  Definitely! :) I love taking on a challenge and I've always enjoyed competition (although I'm not quite the cutthroat type either). I have been involved in competitive sports since I was eight years old - swimming, tennis, and running mainly. With the swimming and running, especially when I got into high school and older, I always liked training for the longer races for some reason since just being able to finish in a competition is a goal in itself (as well as improving times of course!). I also like the fact that you can compete in all three of these sports regardless of your age and ability level. Not sure how relevant this is to the TriWizard Tournament, but from reading other people's sorting entries the general theme seems to be the more I write, the better. :)
  
  
• If you could choose your animagus form, what would it be and why?
  An owl. Maybe that's not very creative, but I love owls. They're so beautiful and they seem so peaceful, and if I wanted to get away from things I could just go out to a quiet forest, turn into an owl, and sit in a tree unnoticed so that I can relax and unwind, enjoy the quietness, and just observe everything that's going on around me.
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why?
  Hermione I think, for a couple reasons. Her best friends are guys and I always seem to have a few close male friends so in that sense (even in high school) I was always sorta "one of the guys". Also because she always seems to know all the answers in class and I can be that way too, at least if I want to be and I'm not selling myself short.
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
  I'd be happy, for one thing, and be a best-selling writer, possibly also a professional photographer in some capacity. I would also see myself in a long-term relationship, where if I wasn't married yet I would at least be in a relationship that was headed that way.
  
  
• If you won a million dollars, how would you spend it?
  1. Pay off all my bills.
  2. Pay my dad back for all the money he's helped me out with when I needed it.
  3. Travel!
  4. Buy a house in a nice quiet area by the beach.
  5. Start college savings accounts for my nieces and nephews because I didn't have one when I went to college, if I hadn't had my part-time job in high school I would've had zilch.
  6. Buy a new car.
  7. Invest.
  8. Start saving for retirement.
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
  First I wanted to be a doctor, then I realized all the awful hours they have to put in during school and residency (ie 24 hour shifts or whatever it is), then I wanted to be a psychologist but after finding out more about the mental health field I decided it wasn't worth the stress and unpredictability of who you might be dealing with as patients. At some point I also wanted to be a pilot in the Navy until I realized that #1 my eyesight sucks and I don't qualify, and #2 what if we go to war and I get shot down in the middle of nowhere. Right now my dream job would be to be a photographer or a writer, maybe both, but we all know it's hard to find work in these areas. :)
  
  
• If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it?
  I would love to have a spell that makes my anxiety around people and new situations go away. Like when I meet guys I like, I totally panic and end up either talking too much or not enough because I'm so nervous ... or in job interviews, I would use it before I go in so that I would appear confident and I would always know how to answer the questions even when I'm caught off-guard. I am on medication for anxiety and I hate that feeling and not being able to control it in certain situations. I would also use it to change things I've done/said in the past as a result of the anxiety. The best example is college, where I was so stressed out from anxiety that it backfired and my grades were less than impressive. (I wasn't even diagnosed with the anxiety until after I graduated, oddly enough, even though I regularly sought counseling because of stress) Instead of focusing on career goals/the future/etc ... I was just concentrating on survival and getting through each semester without completely panicking at the end. I would just change the bad moments of feeling so overwhelmed into moments where I was able to work through it and reach my goals and not have regrets about how I handled tough situations. What to call it ... maybe anxietus minuta
  
  
• If you were to face a boggart, what would it turn into? And what does it turn into when you throw the counter-spell, Riddikulus?
  A snake. I despise them and they scare me and I think they're gross. When throwing the Riddikulus spell, I would make it so the snake starts obsessively going in circles and chasing its tail with no success and no ability to stop. I don't know why, I just think it would be rather entertaining!
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend?
  Someone who won't judge me for my past, someone who will support me in whatever decisions I make while at the same time tells me what I need to hear since that's what friends are for too, someone with a sense of humor, someone I can have fun yet and can talk to about anything.
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people?
  I can't stand people who lie for the sake of "protecting" me, it just makes me burn. I grew up with really overprotective parents who were so bent on protecting me that there's a lot of things I didn't learn until I got a bit older. I also hate people who talk down to others or treat others like they're stupid when they don't know something or make a mistake, hate bullying, people who assume the worst without actually asking me what the real situation is.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
  willingness to help others, sensitive, listening to others, setting goals for myself, persistence
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  impatience, anxiety, beating myself up over mistakes, lack of confidence in myself, sometimes can be overly sensitive.
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  • Courage: Being able to handle or take on a situation even in the presence of fear.
    
  • Loyalty: Standing by your friends or others in spite of what others say and staying by their side even when they're going through a rough time
    
  • Intelligence: Being able to learn and understand information, eagerness to learn new things, also asking questions.
    
  • Ambition: Setting goals and working hard to achieve them.
    
  
  
• Name: Amanda
  
• Age: 29
  
• Where did you find out about us? I saw a comment on a friend's list related to The Order, saw the community posted, got curious, and ended up here.