Just For The Holl of It

Well, That Was Random

2007-08-22T15:25:00.000-04:00

Put your player on shuffle and use the lyrics to respond to the questions, no matter what the song is!
*Note from Holly: I followed the instructions, but I actually scanned through each song iTunes shuffled upon and chose lyrics from different parts of the song that fit the best, and in most cases, are honest answers from me. It's weird when they fit so well. *Hides from scary psychic iTunes shuffle* I've enclosed a picture of me and Abraham Lincoln jamming to my iPod. That's right... Lincoln loves Lifehouse.

If you reached the top of Mount Everest, you would scream: "I sued Earthlink 'cause I called 'em up, and they had the nerve to put me on hold. I sued Starbucks 'cause I spilled a Frappuccino in my lap and brrr, it was cold!"-"I'll Sue Ya" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

What is your dream: "If everyone cared and nobody cried, if everyone loved and nobody lied, if everyone shared and swallowed their pride then we'd see the day when nobody died."-"If Everyone Cared" by Nickelback

What is the kind of drunk you like: "My mind's running in reverse trying not to forget who we were, where it's at."-"Who We Are" by Lifehouse

Your message to the world: "I'll miss the winter, a world of fragile things. Look for me in the white forest, hiding in a hollow tree (come find me). I know you hear me. I can taste it in your tears."-"My Last Breath" by Evanescence

What you think your best friend thinks of you: "It's so hard to be so far out, living our separate lives. Your phone was really broken, I tried your number twice."-"Only Heart" by John Mayer

Your deepest secret: "Why did you go? All these questions run through my mind. I wish I couldn't feel it all."-"Haunted" by Kelly Clarkson

How do you want the world to see you?: "You see what you want and try to justify. All your little lies, convictions and your lies… Why do you have to point at me?"-"Breakdown" by Daughtry

Your innermost desire: "I know I don't know you but I want you so bad. Everyone has a secret, oh, can they keep it? Oh no, they can't."-"Secret" by Maroon 5

Your oldest memory makes you think: "All we ever want is more, a lot more than we had before, so take me to the nearest store."-"Ka-Ching!" by Shania Twain

Somewhere in your wedding vows, you'll include: "I hope you never look back but you never forget all the ones who've loved you in the place you lived. I hope you always forgive and you never regret and you help somebody every chance you get."-"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts

On your deathbed, you'll whisper: "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach, I'm Popeye the Sailor Man."-"Popeye Theme Cover" by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

Your friends say behind your back: "Your smile lights up a room like a candle in the dark. It warms me through and through."-"Missing You" by Amy Grant

You wake up in the morning and think, "You might think I don't look but deep inside the corner of my mind, I'm attached to you. I'm weak. It's true."-"True" by Ryan Cabrera

If you found yourself lost on a desert island, your inner reflections would tell you: "I cried out with no reply and I can't feel you by my side, so I hold tight to what I know: you're here. And I'm never alone."-"Never Alone" by BarlowGirl

Right now, your feelings are: "We may have lost Sirius Black. But we're not turning back. We will fight till we have won, till Voldemort is gone."-"The Weapon" by Harry and the Potters

Your life's soundtrack: "Empty spaces, what are we living for? Abandoned places. I guess we know the score. On and on… does anybody know what we are living for? Another hero. Another mindless crime behind the curtain in the pantomime. On the line, does anybody want to take it anymore? The show must go on."-"The Show Must Go On" by Queen

The day you fall in love will be the day that: "Well, the Poopsmith, he could talk. And Marzipan would rock. And The Stick would be this big ol' tree who'd try to eat everyone except The Cheat and Me."-"Different Town" by Strong Bad

You during Sex: "I hear you whispering the words that melt everyone but you stay so cool."-"Smooth" by Rob Thomas and Santana

Your Biggest Regret: "So much pain and no good reason why. You've cried until the tears run dry. Nothing here can make you understand. The one thing that you held so dear is slipping from your hands."-"Somewhere Down the Road" by Amy Grant

If you could give your younger self advice, it would be: "I'm not one to lecture. How could I dare? Someone like me who's been mainly nowhere. But in my experience, be as it may, ya just have to love who ya love."-"Love Who You Love" from A Man of No Importance

Your farewell message to the readers of this : "You've read the Harry Potter books, you think you know 'em through. But there's something that you may not know and here's a little clue: the female of the trio has her birthday on Talk Like a Pirate Day, so heads up Harry and Ron. When she found out, her eyes she rolled, she went on knittin' socks. But Harry said, 'I've got the gold, let's head down for the docks. They traded lots of Galleons for a lovely brigantine, and now they're her young stallions and she's a pirate queen. "-Hey, It's Can(n)on by Tom Smith

Deathly Hallows Spoilers Are Spoilicious

2007-08-09T02:37:00.000-04:00

Yeah... so, um... hi. Been awhile, hasn't it? Yeah... yeah, sorry about that. Anyhoo, I'm back now and I wanted to share some'a my thoughts about the newest and last Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows. So if you haven't read it... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON THE INTERNET, READING BLOG ENTRIES?! COME ON, GET BACK TO THE BOOK! DID YOUR TEACHERS EVER HAVE YOU DO A BLOG REPORT BACK IN GRADE SCHOOL?! NO? WELL, MAYBE THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT! YOU KNOW, OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT BLOGS PROBABLY WEREN'T INVENTED YET WHEN YOU WERE IN GRADE SCHOOL! SO GET BACK TO READING THE BOOK! IT'S FUNDAMENTAL! And I guess I'll go back to typing like a normal human being. But seriously, if you haven't read the book, get to work on it... and stop reading this right now.

Really, right frickin' now.

I mean it.

Seriously.

Move your keister, Meester.

Alright, I feel that that's enough of a warning for fellow nerds who aren't very fast readers. First off, I have a new 'ship. When everybody (like that free promotional Borders bookmark) kept asking, "Is Snape a friend of a foe?" I would say something along the lines of, "Dude, who cares? He's an entertaining character either way," and the bookmark would generally reply, "...I don't know what you want me to say. I can't very well make a persuasive argument because, you see, I'm a bookmark. All I can do is pose the same question over and over again and advertise Border's Books and Music and the date the book comes out." At that point, I would begin to hope that Snape was a friend, so that I could say that he was my friend, and then I could tell that snooty bookmark that I had an intelligent lifeform (however fictional he may be) with whom I could carry on my "Who cares?" argument.

Wh-where was I? Oh yes, Snape. So since I was so determined not to care whether or not Snape was a friend or foe, I was very surprised when the witty ol' hook-nosed fella turned out to be a friend... and such a sweet one! I literally sat at my grandma's dining room table, crying like a wuss about how sweet it was that Snape was (and will, as Prof. Sevvy said, "always" be) so in love with his childhood best friend, Lily Evans. I adored the whole chapter "The Princes Tale." A couple of my favorite parts were:

"Severus?"
A little smile twisted Snape's mouth when she said his name.
"Yeah?"
"Tell me about the dementors again."
"What d'you want to know about them for?"
"If I use magic outside school--"
"They wouldn't give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too--"
He turned red again and shredded more leaves.
--Pg. 667, American version

"I didn't mean--I just don't want to see you made a fool of-- He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. "And he's not... everyone thinks... big Quidditch hero--" Snape's bitterness and dislike were rendering him incoherent, and Lily's eyebrows were traveling farther and farther up her forehead.
"I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag," she said, cutting across Snape. "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."
Harry doubted that Snape had even heard her strictures on Mulciber and Avery. The moment she had insulted James Potter, his whole body had relaxed, and as they walked away there was a new spring in Snape's step...
--Pg. 674, 675, American version

"If she means so much to you," said Dumbledore, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?"
"I have-- I have asked him--"
"You disgust me," said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?"
Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore. "Hide them all, then," he croaked. "Keep her-- them-- safe. Please."
"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"
"In-- in return?" Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, "Anything."
Pg. 677, 678, American version

"I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter--"
"But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"
"For him?" shouted Snape. "Expecto Patronum!"
From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once around the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
"After all this time?"
"Always," said Snape.
Pg. 687, American version

And, of course, I'm also insanely moved by Snape's death in "The Elder Wand"

When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, his grip on Harry's robed slackened.
"Look... at... me..." he whispered.
The green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.
Pg. 658, American version

So sad and so sweet. I'll try not to squeal like a 13-year-old girl but I don't know if I--SQUEEEEEEE! Oh. Sorry, I guess I couldn't contain myself. Anyhoo, what I have to wonder is, if Lily was so persistent in her belief that James Potter was an "arrogant toerag," why in the hell would she ever marry the conceited wiener? I mean, I know that Sev screwed up with all that "filthy little Mudbloods like her" crap, but he apologized profusely, and it was very plain to see that he adored every last deep red hair on her head. So what was Lily's deal? *Waves a "Sev" flag* Man, I need to make a "Potter stinks" badge with a different Potter on it. If I were Lils, I would've said, "Hey Toerag, thanks for Harry, but I'll be going for Sev now."

And, of course, J.K. Rowling had to go ahead and finalize the scary, too-obvious 'ships, which were clearly emotionally unstable. If we were depending on emotional stability to keep those 'ships afloat, they would have been sunk immediately. First off, what is the deal with Ginny? Why did our main hero end up with this rather minor character (till the 6th book anyway) who simply had a crush on him as a kid? The girl couldn't even talk to him for four years! So now Harry's just suddenly like, "Hey, Ginny's hot. Hope Ron doesn't mind if I snog--er, um, date her." Where the crap did that come from?

And then there're Ron and Hermione, who have always bickered like an old, unhappily married couple, but seem to think it's a good idea to spend the rest of their lives together anyway. Their relationship reminds me of a 6th grade boy snapping a girl's bra and throwing spit balls at her across classrooms to try to get her to like him. And so they get married and have child named "Hugo." I'm serious, they really named one of their children Hugo. I know it's sad. But I've gotta say, I didn't expect much more from a couple who probably says things like, "I know you are, but what am I?" and "Quit hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself!" in bed. But remember, according to J.K. Rowling, Hermione and Harry are the ones who think of each other as siblings. *Rolls eyes* Whatever.

With these kinds of pairings actually happening in the books, you kind of have to wonder what kind of romantic relationships JKR has had herself. They can't have been too healthy if her characters' relationships are any indication, eh? The girl can write chemistry- she really can! But she smothers those delicious sparks with the awful, awful pairings.

Alright, I guess that's enough nerding for one day. Now I'm off to find out what I'd look like as a Simpsons character. *Grins nerdily* Hee! Alright, I guess there can never be enough nerding. Ah, when am I actually going to find a boyfriend instead of finding boyfriends for fictional girls? Oh well... I'll just leave you with one awesome Harry/Hermione video and one great Snape/Lily vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VrwhNi8Dq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFZ2IGLV7UA

<3, Holly

Tagged Like the Ear of an Abused Cow

2007-02-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

**Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who get tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog!**

8. I'm trying to write a stage play based on my life 3 years ago, but it's very hard to get started on.

7. I have obsessive compulsive disorder. That's right, I have a fascination with the number 2, a terrible fear of the color red and the number 6, and I feel the need to touch things I find appealing only with the very tip of my leftmost finger.

6. My mom taught me to wish on stray eyelashes when they fall out of my lids when I was little, and I still do it to this day.

5. I'm developing an unhealthy fascination with a dude who plays some nerd on Ugly Betty. Look at this guy and tell me he isn't adorable, though.

4. One of my favorite Daria fan fictions is "Seas Sorrow" by Diane Long, but I can't read it before bed because it gives me nightmares. Shut up. I don't do well with horror.

3. I didn't graduate high school because of some sort of social anxiety phobia. But I got a G.ood E.nough D.iploma.

2. I'm rigidly uptight about drugs. I want to do some of those "Don't Do Drugs" speeches at junior high schools, but I'm sure they'd sound something like, "Dude, are you guys retards? Don't do drugs. Come on, stop being morons. Now get back to class… or don't, whatever. Just don't do drugs. They're bad, m'kay?"

1. I'm having liver surgery Monday morning at 11:00 at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Wish me luck!

The 8... um, lucky people I'll be tagging are Ma, Crystal, Michelle, Tracy, Lindsay, Jennifer, Tracey and Paula.

55 Questions to Ask Your Dog

2007-02-04T17:51:00.000-05:00

Here's a crazy-arsed survey I nicked from Shana! Yayyyyy, crazy-arsed survey!

1. Is your second toe longer than your first?
Nope! The Jason Alexander character in Shallow Hal would go out with me! Oh wait, I'm fat... No, I guess he wouldn't. But then, I wouldn't go out with him either.

2. Do you have a favorite type of pen?
Sharpies. Wait, those are markers... Uh, pink ones.

3. Look at your planner for March 14, what are you doing?
Yeah... planner... let me just get right on that.

4. What color are your toenails usually?
They don't have a "usually" color. They could be any color at any time! They're very unpredictable. But right now they're a deep coral.

5. What was the last thing you highlighted?
My Laugh-In script. I did it in orange.

6. What color are your bedroom curtains?
White. They're lacy at this house... at the other one, they're Harry Potter print.

7. What color are the seats in your car?
Light gray.

8. Have you ever had a black and white cat?
Two of them, for a very short time, while we had Bahdra's kittens staying with us. Mini-Jerry and Adelvice.

9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on?
I'm assuming it was some sort of... um... mail.

10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming?
Uh... I don't know. I guess that means no, huh?

11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time?
For spending purposes.

12. Who is the last baby that you held?
Crookshanks. He's still my baby kitty, even at 2 years old!

13. Do you know of any twins with rhyming names?
No. *Sniffle*

14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste?
No, cinnamon is nasty.

15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago?
The same one I am now.

16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators
No! You can't make me. What is that, anyhoo, some sorta football crap?

17. Last time you went to Six Flags?
I've never been.

18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house?
On the... computer.

19. Closest thing to you that is yellow?
The air duster.

20. Last person to give you a business card?
My liver surgeon.

21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to?
Your mom.

22. Closest framed picture to you?
Zach's marching band pictures.

23. Last time you had someone cook for you?
Yesterday when Mom made me baked pasta shells with cracker crumbles and parmasean cheese. Ohhhhh yeah.

24. Have you ever applied for welfare?
No ma'am.

25. How many emails do you have?
5 zillion and 2.

26. Last time you received flowers?
Jerry's aunt gave me a rose at the play.

28. What are you listening to right now?
Some car driving by.

29. Do you play air guitar?
No sir.

30. Do you take anything in your coffee?
Donuts.

31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines?
What in the crap is a Willow Tree figurine?

32. What is your high school's rival mascot?
Dude, I don't know. Which high school are you talking about?

33. Last person you spoke to from high school?
Uh, Zach.

34. Last time you used hand sanitizer?
Friday at the hospital.

35. Would you like to learn to play the drums?
No thanks, I'm good.

36. What color are the blinds in your living room?
Bisque.

37. What is in your inbox at work?
What inbox? ...What work?

38. Last thing you read in the newspaper?
Newspaper, eh? Probably showtimes or Garfield.

39. What was the last pageant you attended?
Pageant, eh? Nope, I don't think I've ever been to one.

40. What was the last place you ordered pizza from?
Little Ceasers. Ooooh yeah.

41. Have you ever worn a crown?
Sure. Don't you have a crown? Of course, I'm awesome.

42. What is the last thing you stapled?
Successfully? I don't know. I tried to staple the Laugh-In script together, but that didn't work out.

43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi?
Nope.

44. Are you ticklish?
Absolutely everywhere. Crap! Now random folks know one of my billions of obvious weaknesses!

45. Last time you saw fireworks?
While having relations with Johnny Depp. Wait, that hasn't happened yet. Probably on the Fourth of July.

46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut?
When they were free at some point.

47. Who is the last person that left you a message & you actually returned their call?
The doctor, I believe.

48. Last time you parked under a carport?
I... don't know.

49. Do you have a black dog?
Indeed, Chyna bear! She's also white. Yay for Chyna, she's multi-racial!

52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of?
Jerry and Zach.

53. Last time you saw a semi truck?
Yesterday, perhaps.

54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe?
No. Do you remember Ugly Betty? I was watching that the other day, that Nerdy Boy Henry on there is hot.

55. Do you have a little black dress?
No ma'am.

I'm (Apparently) a Sexy Man

2007-01-30T17:51:00.000-05:00

Which Grey..'s Anatomy Intern are you?
George

You are sweet and tend to think of others more than yourself, but when you have had enough then you have had enough, You are on edge a lot but can still enjoy a good time. You are the boy next door!

Take this test

Ouch, My Liver!

2006-12-19T17:50:00.000-05:00

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Let's all hope it's not against my religion to post tarot cards on my blog. The card seems to be correct, though. I have excellent intuition, especially (for some reason) when it comes to Jerry. The night he and Matt first broke up, I woke up sweaty (I didn't even know I could sweat... maybe I need to get some excersize) and panicking for no apparent reason. This has happened before, but that night it was really bad. Then I started getting awful, inexplicable pains in my abdomen, and soon I was in the hospital with a gall bladder that apparently doesn't work and a large benign tumor on my liver. I've noticed that life really hurts, physically and emotionally lately. I'm worried about my first big surgery (my only surgery if we don't count my wisdom teeth, but that hurt way too much to not count), and I can't stop hurting about Jerry and Matt's breakup. The doctors and people who have had their gall bladders out tell me that I'll feel a million times better, and won't hurt at all anymore once surgery is over with. I wish there was a surgery I could have that would make me stop hurting about Jerry and Matt.

<3, Holly

Hard Times

2006-12-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

I remember a time, after my parents had had a fight when I was a little girl. Afterward, my mom sat my brother and I down and told us not to worry, because she and my dad would never get divorced, and that we would never have to choose between our parents. A few years later, due to a completely unrelated matter, my parents did get divorced, but we were never forced to choose between them, thank God. We both still see both of our parents all the time, and there's never really been a time when we felt like we had to choose one or the other. We've been very lucky.

Jerry and Matt have broken up. Of course, this has nothing to do with my parents' divorce, and it's really nothing like that... except that I have that breathless panicky feeling stuck in my throat like I'm going to have to choose between them. I won't have to do that, of course. I'm sure things are going to be very weird for a while, but I hope we can all somehow still be friends. Jerry is and always will be my best friend, but I've grown close to Matt in the past year, too. I felt like we had something awesome, the three of us, as friends, that had nothing to do with Jerry and Matt's relationship, and I don't want that to go away. If it does, I don't know what I'll do. I'm going to miss our late nights at diners, the fun we had at rehearsals, and being able to call them "my boys." I can't stop crying. I wish I had a big stuffed animal to hug. Why did I give all of those away? Christmas songs are making me tear up, because they got together last year, right before Christmas. Tracey's Christmas party is really going to make me cry, because that's where I met Matt. I just want to wake up and have their breakup have been a stupid nightmare I had. I can't believe how stupid I'm being, getting so upset about this- you'd think it was my breakup! I'm sure they're hurting a lot more than I am, which must really suck, because my heart is broken into tiny shards. Good thing we have a lot of Kleenex stored up from everyone's colds.

Speaking of being sick, I got terribly ill last Saturday night. I threw up for twelve hours straight, and had to go to the emergency room at the hospital. But I didn't just have the flu, as it turned out. A lot of really hot doctors decided to keep me in the hospital for over 24 hours for observation, and, after a lot of really painful tests on my stomach, they figured out that I have a large, benign tumor covering my liver, and that my gall bladder was only functioning 10%. An ultra-oh-my-God-hot surgeon came into my room and informed me that my gall bladder will have to come out, and that they'll be scraping the tumor off my liver while they're in there. I'm now on an awful low-fat diet until I can get an MRI next week. Ew.

Well, I've got a bunch of homework to do, so I guess I'll get back to that. Just wanted to bitch about my problems a bit. It didn't really help, but oh well.

<3, Holly

Ew, Politics Are Gross

2006-11-05T17:47:00.000-05:00

You Are 8% Republican

If you have anything in common with the Republican party, it's by sheer chance.
You're a staunch liberal, and nothing is going to change that!

How Republican Are You?

You Are 72% Democrat

You have a good deal of donkey running through your blood, and you're proud to be liberal.
You don't fit every Democrat stereotype, but you definitely belong in the Democrat party.

How Democrat Are You?

Your Vote Score: 33% Republican, 67% Democrat

While you don't always agree with the Democrat party, it's a pretty good match for you.
Do be sure to research each candidate. A liberal Republican or independent candidate might fit you better at times.

Should You Vote Republican or Democrat?

I freaking hate politics. My family is mainly republicans. My friends are mainly democrats. I've figured out that I'm a democrat who's mostly liberal but is very mildly conservative (drugs are bad, m'kay?). In the race for governor, I thought I could just go for Jennifer Granholm, since she is a democrat and all. But it turns out that she's the bi-atch who put that mourning dove bill on the ballot, so it's going to be her frickin' fault if Proposal 3 is passed, and I'll be forced to egg her house (with egg substitute, of course). What kind of tree-hugging hippie is this woman, anyway? I thought democrats were supposed to be against killing things! Have I been grossly misinformed, or what? Seriously- what the hell?

I've been doing internet research on both Dick DeVos and Granholm for the past couple of hours, and it's wearing me the crap out. I'm going to have to play mindless online games for the NEXT two hours just to clear my head of all the political boringness. Bo...ring...ness? Boringness, yes. I see no reason to vote for DeVos, and I do agree with some of Granholms policies, but I can't support someone who thinks hunting is okay. I mean, hunting is my #1 gripe! What am I going to do, vote for the green party?

Whatever. Look, I'm not even going to worry about it right now. I'm going to go, watch the Cartoon Network while I hug Christina's stuffed penguin and wish I was a kid again so I didn't have to worry about voting for the right person.

<3, Holly

Het AND Slash... Together at Last- in Quiz Form!

2006-11-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

Holy crap- it's all true! Wow, this quizmaster is good...

And now I'm off to read fanfic of each (although I really do prefer Lupin with Tonks... but if Lupin was under suspicion, I would totally want him with Sirius... uh, not that that'll happen now anyway)! <3, Holly

A Short Story

2006-10-11T17:46:00.000-04:00

The Pointless Night in the Basement

By Holly Zintel

"Tracey and Lou, Tracey and Lou, Tracey and Lou… they will get married and step in some glue!" Wendy sang cheerfully, in spite of herself, and her imminent illness.

She chuckled and then continued on, "Tracey and Lou, Tracey and Lou…"

The sounds of an awful baseball game continued on in the background of the basement… or at least, Holly wished it were in the background. The volume seemed to be increasing by the minute, if you asked her, and she didn't know how much longer she could listen to such meaningless tripe.

Luckily, at that moment, a car commercial came on the TV. Of course, Holly hated car commercials as well.

Just then, her mother muted the TV. Holly was more delighted than Monica Lewinsky at an all male review, which doubled as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"You almost done, Mike?" Wendy asked suddenly.

"Mumble, grumble, grumble," Mike grumbled unceremoniously.

Suddenly, Wendy decided to lie down on the ab chair. She stretched out, apparently quite content with life. Little did she know, the ab chair expected her to do work, and a lot of it, at that. The chair forced her suddenly into doing all sorts of gross sit-ups. "Well," Wendy proclaimed, "now I have tight abs."

"That quick?" Mike mumble-grumbled.

"That quick. Abs of steel," Mom said.

Chapter 2

Holly Gets to Use the Internet

Holly didn't need to write any more of this meaningless story, as Mike was suddenly struck by an idea- he could eat four pieces of pickle loaf in a gross sandwich, perhaps stuffed with mayonnaise or some sort of nasty pickles. You know, pickles on pickle loaf? It seemed nasty to Holly, too.

Holly was sure he would burp all night long and, undoubtedly, keep her mother awake.

"It's time for Leno," Wendy swiftly proclaimed. "Should I turn it on… or do you want me to keep it on the baseball game?"

"Uh… I kind of want the game on," Mike mumble-grumbled selfishly.

"Sigh," Wendy sighed. "They'll be flicking the lights now, telling us it's time for Leno," she added dejectedly.

Holly was definitely ready to use the internet. Wendy peeked around the treadmill to see whether or not Mike was yet off the computer.

Just as Holly had suspected, he wasn't. "It just sits there; it won't go," Mike mumble-grumbled in a whiny voice.

Holly was rather disgusted, to say the least. After all, she and her mother had an 11:00 appointment on to take a "7 Deadly Sins" quiz on the internet.

"Can you un-mute it?" Mike asked rudely, in his usual whiny voice.

Wendy did.

Meanwhile, Amy ate from her adorable cat face-shaped bowl, and Daria bathed on top of the wardrobe. Wendy did not know what a "wardrobe" was, but Holly did. It was, in fact, a zipped up plastic thing in the middle of the basement, dividing Wendy and Mike's room from the… well, basement.

Amy licked her chops, now directly next to Holly and Wendy. She stared at Holly. Clearly, she was contemplating eating Holly. Holly did not care for this tactic at all.

"You missed the best part of the story," Wendy pointed out sadly as Mike, once again whined, "Man, this is slow!" He didn't, however, make any attempt to get off of the computer or, in fact, do anything useful to help the situation at all.

Holly was beginning to get rather disgusted. And by "beginning," she, of course, meant, "boiled over with anger."

"It's over," Mike mumble-grumbled annoyingly. "Turn it to 25."

"What?" Wendy asked, puzzled.

"IT'S OVER. Turn it to 25," Mike demanded in a decidedly… mumbly-grumbly way.

Suddenly, to make a happy ending for the story, Holly decided to eat some Jolly Ranchers as Barbara Streissand yelled, "SHUT THE F*** UP!" Ms. Streissand then went on to win 25 awards for her hilarious outfit in The Owl and the Pussycat.

"Man, this is frustrating," Mike mumble-grumbled.

Holly decided to turn him into a pug dog with her special Harry Potter-oriented powers. She has her gay boys behind her in spirit always, and also summoned their special "gay powers" to help.

OhmyGod, ZOLOFT!!!!

2006-09-24T17:45:00.000-04:00

Your Social Anxiety Level: 52%

You have moderate social anxiety.
It's possible that you have a serious social anxiety problem.
But it's also likely that you can help yourself, by getting out more and trying new, scary activities.
No one's secretly judging you. So be yourself, and if you screw up, just laugh.

Are You Socially Anxious?

You Are a Drama Princess (or Prince)

You're not over the top dramatic, but you have your moments.
You know how to steal the spotlight...
And how to act out to get your way.

People around you know that you're good for a laugh.
But at times, your drama gets a bit too much for everyone.
Tone it down a tad, and you'll still be the center of attention.

Are You a Drama Queen (or King)?

You Are 56% Hypochondriac

You are a bit of a hypochondriac, but nothing too extreme (yet).
You watch your health a little more than you should - even when there's nothing to worry about.

Are You a Hypochondriac?

You Are 60% Bipolar

You're a bit moody, and at times, your moods can be a bit extreme.
It's up to you to decide if you're simply dramatic... or slightly bipolar.

Are You Bipolar?

Top Ten Hottest Guys

2006-08-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

So, here it is. My list of the top ten hottest guys in the world. If you feel that you're a hot guy, don't feel bad that you're not on here because, to be fair, I haven't seen all the guys in the world. But then again, maybe you're not as hot as you thought you were. Anyway, it's really personality that counts with me, but I won't be making a list of the top ten guys with best personalities. Because, you know. It wouldn't be any fun.

10. "Weird Al" Yankovic

What do you mean he's not sexy? You'd better believe he is! Have you ever been to one of his concerts and seen him kick his leg up past his head? That's hotter than hell! And also, he's a vegetarian. Nothing is hotter than that. Plus, he's hilarious.

9. T.R. Knight

That's right, I think George O'Malley is one of the sexiest guys ever. And hecks no, I don't think "McDreamy" is hot at all. In fact, he's bloody obnoxious, and I want to punch him in the face. But George is sweet and wonderful and I just want to cuddle with him. Adorable.

8. Daniel Radcliffe

Yeah, I know it's creepy for me to think he's hot. But he's really seventeen now, so technically. No! NO! Not cool, Holly. Back off. Well, alright. Maybe it's just that he's Harry Potter, and that's what makes him so hot. ...No. No, that's not it. Still, I'd better shut up before I get into a lot of trouble.

7. Jason Wade

Ah, Lifehouse's front-man. Listen to the guy's voice. It's all deep, but it can also get really high... and oh man, sometimes it sort of crackles and you're like, whoa! That was hot. At least, I am.

6. Jonathan Jackson

I spent a good chunk of my childhood planning my wedding to this guy, but he went and got married without me. Crap. Anyhoo, you might remember him from General Hospital, where he was the only one to ever decently portray the character of Lucky Spencer. Mmm... he's one of those sensitevely sexy, God-fearing sorts of hot. Pretty lovely.

5. Adrian Brody

A lot of people don't realize that he's hot. They probably haven't seen his sexy nose, eyes, and that scene in King Kong where he didn't have a shirt on.

4.Ewan McGregor

Oh man, did you see him in Moulin Rouge? He was all like, singing to that hooker, and crying all over the place. It was so hot. His eyes are gorgeous, and he sometimes has a sexy-liscious British accent.

3. Matt.

He's a friend of mine who is hot. He's so hot, he's a lifeguard, even. That's a pretty hot job if you as me. See, look at him. But don't touch him unless you're a man. A man named Jerry, who is his boyfriend.

2. Jerry

My best friend. He's really hot too, especially since he's usually full of hot coffee drinks. And he can sing better than Ewan McGregor, which is the hottest thing one can possibly do. Also, he can act. It's sexy. But don't touch him either unless your name is Matt, and your picture is right above.

1. Johnny Depp

People magazine was close when they said he was the hottest man of the year. But I'm sure what they meant to say was that he's the hottest man ever. Oooh, he can act too. You would know this if you had seen any one of his movies. And just check him out. Even his toe nails are hot. Probably. Captain Jack Sparrow is probably his hottest character yet. Mmm, fencing...

Holly? Uh, No, My Name Is...

2006-08-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

Holly Rachael Zintel's Aliases

Your movie star name: Doritos Larry

Your fashion designer name is Holly London

Your socialite name is Daria Tawas

Your fly girl / guy name is H Zin

Your detective name is Kitty Wenona

Your barfly name is Twinkie Pina Colada

Your soap opera name is Rachael Watchill

Your rock star name is Twerpz Chaos

Your Star Wars name is Holcro Zinjoh

Your punk rock band name is The Anxious Dildo

The Amazing Meganame Generator

Dentists Are the Devil

2006-08-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

Alright, alright... I finally get why the whole world dreads going to the dentist, and feels that they are the devil. After over twenty years of having absolutely nothing wrong with my teeth... I still had nothing wrong with my teeth. But I was told that my wisdoms would jack up all my other teeth if I didn't get them removed. And so... I did. This was the worst idea ever. It's just that... well, my dentist's office has never steered me wrong before, so I figured, hey, what was the worst that could happen? OH, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE HORRIBLE, BLOOD-CURDLING PAIN AND VOMITTING FOR A BLOODY WEEK STRAIGHT?! A 7-HOUR TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL?! A WHOLE BAG FULL OF WRONGLY-PRESCRIBED MEDICATION?! ALMOST NO FOOD FOR NEARLY A WEEK?! In the words of Napolean Dynomite, "Gosh, idiot." A week and a day after my surgery, and I'm finally able to eat macaroni and cheese, something I would have been able to eat the day after the ordeal had I been in the hands of a competant medical professional! Dude, let me tell you, if a 90-year-old man ever comes near you with surgical dental tools, tell him to get the crap out of your face before you stick him in an old folks home with nothing to eat but pudding, which is what I pretty much did all week. And let me tell you, sitting on your arse for seven whole days eating butterscotch pudding and watching five billion DVDs is not nearly as much fun as it sounds. Now that I can feel something other than excrutiating pain, I think I'll eat some pizza (oh, you just watch me chew it! ...Really slowly and carefully) and go to bed.

Zuppa Toscana!

2006-08-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

1: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:
"Tristan had no idea what most of the hors d'oeuvers were or if they were to be served in any special way."--Kissed By An Angel by Elizabeth Chandler.

2: Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?:
The phone.

3: What is the last thing you watched on TV?:
An episode from the first season of King of the Hill. It wasn't nearly as good as the show is now, 'cause none of the characters had been developed yet.

4: WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is:
Oh... I dunno, uh... 12:38.

5: Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?:
12:44. Ooh, close.

6: With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?:
Nothing. God, how boring. *Goes into iTunes and puts songs on shuffle... "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul and that cartoon cat starts* There we go. Now at least I'm not boring. Maybe nerdy and retro in some way, but not boring. Perhaps. I hope.

7: When did you last step outside? what were you doing?:
'Bout half an hour ago. I was switching cars with Zach.

8: Before you came to this website, what did you look at?:
Fanfiction.net. I was checkin' on the Jack/Elizabeth fics. *Droooo...oooo.ls*

9: What are you wearing?:
Some pajamers and fluffy green slippers.

10: Did you dream last night? If so, of what?:
Yes, but I don't remember exactly what I dreamt last night. However, the night before last, I dreamt about being in multiple plane crashes after leaving my purse at the airport, and in the morning, that foiled terrorist attempt was on the news. Creepy. As. Crap. Eh?

11: When did you last laugh?:
Probably when I was watching King of the Hill awhile ago.

12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?:
Nerdy dang pictures of Zach and I from when we were in high school, some framed quotes & poems about daddies, Zach's high school marching band photos... Various living room crap.

13: Seen anything weird lately?:
Yes. I saw a picture of Matt in a sweater vest at his house last night. Tee hee! Sweater vests... hi-larious.

14: What do you think of this quiz?:
It's a fine, upstanding quiz.

15: What is the last film you saw?:
Mommy Dearest with Jerry and Matt last night. There was this like, 4 year old kid getting beat with cleaning supplies and she was all like, "Jesus Christ!" It was funny at inappropriate parts.

16: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?:
Some gas! Yeah! With that kind of money, I'd be able to afford about half a tank full! Woo!

17: Tell me something about you that I don't know:
Who are you?! I don't know what you know and what you don't! Wah-ha! However, I type 95 words-per-minute. I hope you didn't know that. Because if you did, I will come to your house and eat all your candy corn. ALL OF IT! And then I'll WAX YOUR CAAARRR! With... with PEANUT BUTTER! Try and get THAT off, JERK!

18: If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would it be?
There'd be stronger laws regarding animal rights. And... more kiwis.

19: Do you like to dance?:
You bet I dooo! Cabbage patch, everybody! Neeer-neeer, neeeer-neeer...

20: Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?:
Either Cadence, Maycee or Autumn.

21: Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?:
Reese.

22: Would you ever consider living abroad?:
Yay-eah. If it was in London.

23: Will you pass on this survey?:
No. No, I won't.

Bury Him in Papers or Wow I Love Ranch

2006-06-20T15:32:00.000-04:00

10 years ago, it was 1996. Take this survey, post the results, and see how many things have changed since then.

1) How old were you?
THEN: 12
NOW: 22

2) Where did you go to school?
THEN: Carman-Ainsworth Junior High School
NOW: Will be going to University of Michigan in the fall, just got out of Mott

3) Where did you work?
THEN: At school
NOW: Um... at... Buckham... but not for moneys.

4) Where did you live?
THEN: Flint, MI
NOW: Flint, MI

5) How was your hair style?
THEN: Very long and brown and usually scrunched.
NOW: Shoulder-length, brown with blonde highlights, usually straight, and layered.

6) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: Nuh-uh.
NOW: Nope.

7) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: No.
NOW: Nuh-uh.

8) Who were your best friends?
THEN: Sarah... we grew apart. She liked pot and I liked... intelligence and not using "friends'" brothers for presents.
NOW: Jerry, Matthew... um... crap. I think that's it.

9) Which of your pets were still alive?
THEN: Tinsel
NOW: Chyna, Crookshanks, Daria, Amy

10) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Jonathan Jackson and Devon Sawa.
NOW: Johnny Depp and Ewan freaking McGregor.

11) How many piercings did you have?
THEN: 2.
NOW: Still 2. For awhile there, it was 6, but you done missed the train on that one.

12) How many tattoos did you have?
THEN: Um. None. I was 12.
NOW: Well, I've got that scar on my neck that looks a division sign.

13) What was your favorite band/singer?
THEN: Amy Grant and Mariah Carey.
NOW: Jerry Bradshaw, Lifehouse and Amy Grant.

14) Had you smoked a cigarette?
THEN: Nope.
NOW: Nope.

15) Had you gotten drunk?
THEN: Nope.
NOW: Nope.

16) What did you want to be when you grew up?
THen: Singer/Dancer/Actress
NOW: I dropped the first two when I realized... um... they're hard.

A Veritable Smorgasbord

2006-05-29T15:27:00.000-04:00

Holy crap. Every day should be Memorial Day! I have never eaten so many delicious things at one time in my life! Or... well, maybe I have, but I don't remember. Because I LIVE IN THE PRESENT! GET OFF MY BACK! Also, old people games are fun. I hope the Boas have a smorgasbord of this sort every year from now on.

Oh yes... news. Jerry and I will be in Buckham Ally's production of I Never Sang For My Father the last two weekends in June. So... come see it! And bring pie. Please?

And now... QUIZ RESULTS! What? You thought I'd do a blog entry without them? Mahahaha! You were MISTAKEN!

Your Deadly Sins

Gluttony: 100_P>

Sloth: 60_P>

Greed: 40_P>

Pride: 40_P>

Envy: 20_P>

Lust: 20_P>

Wrath: 20_P>

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 43_P>

You'll die choking on a cookie in bed.

How Sinful Are You?

You Should Be an Actor

You have a flair for the dramatic, and you probably already do a lot of acting in your day to day life, just to entertain yourself.

No need to steal the spotlight from your friends... You'll get plenty of attention once you start acting professionally!

What Sort of Artist Should You Be?

Your Brain is 87emale, 13ale

You have the brain of a girly girl

Which isn't a bad thing at all

You're emphatetic, caring, and in tune with emotions.

You're a good friend and give great advice.

What Gender Is Your Brain?

You Are 18ake

Fake doesn't even come close to describing you.

You're totally natural, and proud of who you really are!

How Fake Are You?

You Are 20 ynical

Cynical? Not even close! If anything, you're a bit naive.

Overall, you enjoy life and try not to be paranoid. Even if you've been burned before.

How Cynical Are You?

You Have Low Self Esteem 68f the Time

You tend to blame yourself when things go wrong, regardless of whether it's your fault or not.

You're anxious to please others and rely too much on their opinions. Learn to please yourself first, and your confidence will soar.

How is Your Self Esteem?

You Are Pumpkin Pie

You're the perfect combo of uniqueness and quality

Those who like you are looking for something (someone!) special

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Your Personality Is Like Alcohol

You're the life of the party, a total flirt, and probably a pretty big jokester.

Sometimes your behavior gets you in trouble, but you still remain socially acceptable.

You're a pretty bad driver, and you're dancing could also use a little work!

What Drug Is Your Personality Like?

You Are Tofu

Okay, so you aren't exactly meat. And that's fine with you. Even if people think you're a bit bland.

There's a good chance you're veg - and even if you aren't, you secretly think meat is gross.

What Kind of Meat Are You?

You Will Die at Age 85

Congratulations! You take good care of yourself.

You're poised to live a long, healthy life.

What Age Will You Die?

You Should Be a Joke Writer

You're totally hilarious, and you can find the humor in any situation.

Whether you're spouting off zingers, comebacks, or jokes about life...

You usually can keep a crowd laughing, and you have plenty of material.

You have the makings of a great comedian - or comedic writer.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

You Are 96appy

It's unlikely that you know anyone happier than you.

You know how to be happy, no matter what life throws at you.

How Happy Are You?

You Are Snow

Magical yet potentially destructive

You are well known as fun to play with

People anticipate your arrival but then are quickly sick of you

You are best known for: your serenity

Your dominant state: reflecting

What Type of Weather Are You?

Your Ideal Relationship is Serious Dating

You're not ready to go walking down the aisle.

But you may be ready in a couple of years.

You prefer to date one on one, with a commitment.

And while chemistry is important, so is compatibility.

What's Your Ideal Relationship?

You Are Likely a Third Born

At your darkest moments, you feel vulnerable.

At work and school, you do best when you're comparing things.

When you love someone, you tend to like to please them.

In friendship, you are loyal to one person.

Your ideal careers are: sales, police officer, newspaper reporter, inventor, poet, and animal trainer.

You will leave your mark on the world with inventions, poetry, and inspiration.

The Birth Order Predictor

(This one wasn't right about the third born part- I was second born, but I liked what it said anyway... And besides, there was no third born!)

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing.

You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes.

And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad.

You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Your Seduction Style: Au Natural

You rank up there with your seduction skills, though you might not know it.

That's because you're a natural at seduction. You don't realize your power!

The root of your natural seduction power: your innocence and optimism.

You're the type of person who happily plays around and creates a unique little world.

Little do you know that your personal paradise is so appealing that it sucks people in.

You find joy in everything - so is it any surprise that people find joy in you?

You bring back the inner child in everyone you meet with your sincere and spontaneous ways.

Your childlike (but not childish) behavior also inspires others to care for you.

As a result, those who you befriend and date tend to be incredibly loyal to you.

What Kind of Seducer Are You?

Trab Pu Kcip

2006-05-08T15:24:00.000-04:00

Your Political Profile

Overall: 5% Conservative, 95% Liberal

Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Got a Funny Kind of Feeling (Like a Herd of Wild Pigs is Trying to Chew Off My Hair)

2006-04-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

1.)Where were you when the ball dropped for 2006? At Grandma's house, playing Scattergories and eating. A lot. Everything in the house except for the dog and cats. This may not sound like your a fun and/or typical New Year's Eve party to you, but I'm large and I enjoyed the hell out of it, so GET OFF MY BACK! *Chews*

2.) How did you get the idea for your myspace name? It... was on my birth certificate. People are always calling me "Holly." The first word of my signature is generally "Holly." So, you know... it's not just a clever rememberance of Christmas-time plants or anything.

3) What song are you listening to right now? "Generic Blues" by "Weird Al" Yankovic.

4.) Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry? No... but I did cry when Daria was prempted for Road Rules Vs. the Real World Vs. Really Retarded Reality Shows.

5.) What color underwear are you wearing? Purple floral. Yey-ah!

6.) Do you own a iPod? You bet your sweet (or nasty, as the case may be) arse I do.

7.) What did you do this morning? SLEPT! It was wonderful.

8.) What does your dad do for a living? 14 people's job's, plus his own, at G.M. for 12 HOURS A DAY! At least, that's what he's always complaing about.

9.) Where do you work? In my nightmares.

10.) What ended your last relationship? The fact that it never started. Possibly.

11) What are the last two digits of your phone number? Sixty-two... AND A HALLLLLLLLFF! *Laughs maniacally*

12.) What was the last concert you attended? The Otherside at the Loft. It was smoky and late but they were brilliant, o' course.

13.) Who was with you? Jerry, Matt and Kristi.

14.) What was the last movie you watched? Mallrats, I believe.

15.) What do you dislike at the moment? Rejection. And dislike is a bit of an understatement.

16.) What food do you crave right now? EVERYTHING! Oh man, I'm hungry! What sounds the best, however, is stuffed pumpkin shells... as always.

17.) Did you dream last night? Something brilliantly passionate, romantic and sexually explicit that I won't be sharing with you.

18.) What was the last TV show you watched? Clone High, USA. It was the musical episode! *Sings* Aaaay-Aaaay-Abe!

19.) What is your favorite piece of jewelry? My theatre ring and my theatre charm bracelet.

20.) Name someone on your Top 8 who is just like you: Now, no two people are alike. That being said, I'm gonna say Zach.

21.) What was the last thing you ate? Strawberries with Splenda. Ooooooh.

22.) Who is your best friend of the opposite sex? Jerry.

23.) Who last IMed you? My mommy.

24.) Are you on any medication? Oh good Lord, yes. Dangerously undermedicated at the moment, though. Yup, I'm planning to freak out in... ohhh... about twenty minutes. EXACTLY. Dun dun dunnnnnn!

25.) What side of the bed do you sleep on? The... left?

26.) What color shirt are you wearing? Gray. It's got Gumby on it! Yaaaaaay, Gumby!

27) what color is ur razor? "Ur?" That's a lovely word, and I'll have to look it up when I have the time. However, my razor is pink.

28.) What is your favorite frozen treat? Superman ice cream. Aww yeaaaah.

29.) How many tattoos/piercings do you have? One piercing in each ear.

30.) What's your favorite store? Hot Topic, usually. Don't worry, I don't feel that "life is pain. Life is only... pain. Pain and blackness... *snap, snap, snap*." It's just... they sell Harry Potter merchandise at times!

31.) Are you thirsty right now? Not particularly.

32.) Can you imagine yourself ever getting married? Oh yeah. *Waves to faceless groom*

33.) Who's someone you haven't seen in a while and miss? Paula.

34.) What did you do last night? Played online word games, discussed Romeo and Juliet and Owl and the Pussycat with Jerry, and cried a bit. Then there was "Weird Al" on iPod and sleep.

35.) Do you care what people think about you? Um... yes. Don't tell the creators of Daria!

36.) Have you ever done something to instigate trouble? Oh Heavens, yes. Speaking of which, your shoe is untied!

37.) Do you like your nose? It's cool. Helps me breathe. You know. I'm pretty fond of it.

38.) What color is your bedroom? Peach.

39.) When was the last time you worked out? Oh God... does walking Chyna with Christina and Zach count? That was like... a week or two ago.

40.) What are your font colors on AIM? Default black, everyone's favorite color.

41.) Have you ever kissed a member of the same sex? Yup. Second grade is the time for experimentation, that's what they always say.

42.) Where do you live? In your bushes, with my pair of binoculars.

43.) Are you an aggressive driver? Only when fiddling with my iPod and not looking at the road!

44.) Who is your cell phone carrier? *Snorts derisively* Virgin Mobile.

45.) Do you like the person who posted this last? Indeed! What up, Paula?

46.) Do you know their Birthday? Yup! September 15th! And I didn't just ask Zach and Christina when it was either! *Nervously shifts eyes*

47.) What is the thing you'd want to change most about yourself? My body fat... or my self-image. They're kind of one and the same, actually.

48.) What color is your car? Silver.

49.) What do you smell like right now? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

50.) What is your favorite color? Pink.

51.) Do you like mustard?: When paired with veggie dogs, certainly.

52.) What do you tell yourself when times get hard?: "Welp, Holly, let's do a survey and try to get your mind off of it."

53.) Would you ever sky dive? Not even for a cookie.

54.) Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back?: Side and back.

55.)What character from a movie most reminds you of yourself? That hooker who sits in the background in dramatic scenes of Moulin Rouge and eats cake, looking worried.

56.) Have you ever bid for something on ebay?: My Johnny Depp pins! Yaaaay, Johnny Depp!

57.) What do you think of Angelina Jolie being pregnant?: I think I couldn't care less.

58.) Do you enjoy giving hugs? Yessir.

59.)Would you consider yourself to be fashionable?: Oh yeah. Gumby shirts and jeans with striped multi-colored socks that claim to be lucky and pink tennis shoes are all the rage right now, aren't they?

60.)Do you own a digital camera? Yup.

61.)Who is your favorite Star Wars character?: Your mom.

62.)Do u know about the BOONDOCKS? Yes! Do you?! Because it's important to realize that it comes on the Cartoon Network every Sunday at 11:00 P.M.! Also, that it's not necessary to CAPITALIZE it like that! I believe you're looking to italisize it.

63.) Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do? Sometimes. But that person is usally me.

64.)What books, if any, have made you cry?: Oh my God, I cry when I read anything at all, from Nicholas Spark's A Walk to Remember to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to the ingredients on the backs of Doritos bags.

65.) What are you allergic to?: The sun.

66.)Are you a jealous person?: Oh, only insanely.

67.) Do you ever feel guilty after eating meat?: No, because I never eat meat. Vegetarian, straight up, yo.

68.) If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name have been? Matthew. My parents really enjoyed that name, and always said that's what my name would have been if I were born a guy. But nope... I... can't be a... a wizard. I'm Holly! Just Holly.

69.)Favorite CHARACTER from a TV SHOW? GEORGE from GREY'S ANATOMY and TRENT LANE from DARIA. How COME you FEEL the NEED to CAPITALIZE every OTHER word LIKE that? It's ODD.

POSSUUUUMS...!

2006-03-29T15:15:00.000-05:00

Current mood: optimistic

Oh my God, a survey from me?! What are the ODDS?!

What is your name?: Holly Rachael Zintel
When is your birthday : Februay 28th, 1984
Where are you from: Flint, MI
Love status: Not. In love, I mean.
Favourite movie: Edward Scissorhands and Moulin Rouge are indefinately tied for favorite.
Favourite song as of now: "Casualty"-Marty Casey and Lovehammers.
Favourite food: Stuffed pumpkin shells.
Favourite bands: Lifehouse, East Village Opera Company, Maroon 5, Cake, Evanescence, The Click Five, Harry and the Potters...
Favourite actor / actress: Johnny Depp and Nicole Kidman/Gwenyth Paltrow
Hottest actor/Actress: Johnny Depp, o' course!
Hottest musical artist: Jerry Bradshaw, just the way he is.
Favourite Makeup item: White cream eye shadow.
First Grade Teacher: Mrs. Freaking Hustead. I will loathe her forevermore.
Last word you said: 'Night.
Last song you sang: "Violet Room"-Casey Stratton
Last person you hugged: Mom, I think.
Last thing you laughed at: Zach spelling dirty while playing "Word Up."
Last time you said 'I love you': A few hours ago, I believe, to my mom.
Last time you cried: The other night when I was feeling very down for no actual reason.
What's in your CD player: CD... player? Oh wow, I remember those! But I have no use for them now that I have my... iPOD! Quiver in fear and envy! Anyhoo, I'll put my iPod on random and see what comes up... ah, it's "Helping Hand" by Amy Grant.
What colour socks are you wearing: Blue.
What's under your bed: A variety of obscure items, such as spoons, dust bunnies, Harry/Hermione smut, old CD cases, and long forgotten high school homework assignments! THAT'S RIGHT, I'M A FILTHY FREAKING PIIIIIIIIG! MY ROOM NEVER GETS CLEANED! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!
Current taste: Most recent was... water, I believe.
Current hair: Filthy (see, I told you I'm a freaking pig!) and pulled back into a makeshift ponytail with a Pisces wristband that I bought at a porn store! EWWW!
Current clothes: Red Lifehouse hoodie, purple floral underdrawers, white push-up bra, $90 blue jeans, and blue socks.
Current annoyance: Cough. *Coughs unwillingly*
Current desktop picture: Harry and Hermione in artsy lighting.
Current worry: That I won't get that Lady MacBeth monologue memorized by Monday.
Current hate: Scientology. I respect most religions, and I'm very open-minded and everything, but WHAT THE HELL, MAN?! Who would actually choose this as their religion? That's right, no one! They're all brainwashed into it! Come back to South Park, Isaac Hayes! Come back to the land of the sane! *Sobs*
Story behind your username: My name is Holly and some say that I am hilarious, therefore "Hollarious" was born!
Current favourite article of clothing: YOUR MOTHER'S PANTIES! I mean... my Harry Potter shirt. Yes... yes, that sounds better.
Favourite physical feature of the same sex: Eyes, eyebrows, hair, lips...
Favourite physical feature of the opposite sex: Eyes, eyebrows, hair, lips, adam's apples
Last CD that you bought: Otherside's CD.
Least favourite place: Hell. You all know it as "The Triangle!"
Time you wake up in the morning: Pardon? Oh... oh, I see; I believe the word you're looking for here is "afternoon." I get up at about 2:30 in the afternoon.
If you could play an instrument, what would it be: The TUUUUUUUUBAAAAA.... maybe... or maybe the CLARINETTT... I'm not real sure, as I wasn't blessed with MUUUUUUUSICAL TALENNNNNNT.
Favourite colour: Pink.
Do you believe in an afterlife: Yessir. It's called Heaven (or Hell if you're a scientologist) and there will be lots of stileto shoes and all-you-can-eat-without-gaining-an-ounce vegetarian buffets! Oh yesssss...
How tall are you: 5'8"
Current favourite word/saying: "Corn is no place for a mighty warrior!"
Favourite book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. "Lost Her Mind Recently" Rowling and Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon. Oh yeah, and Virgin Vegan Valentine by Carolyn Mackler. Ooh, and all of Elizabeth Chandler's books, especially the Kissed By an Angel series, Legacy of Lies and No Time to Die. *Bookgasms*
Favourite season: Winter.
Favourite day: Why, it's CHRISTMAS DAY!
Where do you want to go: Las Vegas, as always.
What is your career going to be like: Glamorous as all get-out. No, seriously. Hey, shut up! *Mumbles* K-Mart stock worker my ass... You have to be in shape for that crap...
What kind of car will you have: Holy crap, I get a new car?! I want a pink VW Bug please! And put some sort of phony "GM" logo on it so my dad'll think his company made it.
Type a line you remember from any book: "Even through his anger and impatience Harry recognized Hermione's offer to accompany him into Umbridge's office as a sign of solidarity and loyalty."-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.
Identify some things surrounding your computer: A framed picture of two of my kitties, Daria and Amy... a printer... my iPod... an empty glass... blank CDs...
My father thinks I am: Lovable, according to all those songs he sings about me, such as, "I love little Holly Rachael!" Uh-oh, he also seems to be under the impression that I'm little... Now if only I could maintain those same delusions about myself...
My sister thinks I am: Uh... as nonexistant as I think she is, perhaps?
My brother thinks I am: "Hilarious," he tells me.
My grandma thinks I am: Somebody to be proud of- both of them.
My girlfriend/boyfriend thinks I am: Who, now?
My best friend thinks I am: Innocent as hell.
You get embarrassed when: I think about my lack of love life for the past... oh, I dunno... 22 years?
It makes you happy when: There are KITTIES and DOGGIES!
It upsets you when: There are drugs.
You keep a diary: Online... and write in it annually!
You like to cook: Things that are easy to make and delicious to eat.
You have a secret you have not shared with anyone: Hahahahahahaha! *Wipes tear from eye* Oh, MERCY! That's funny. You know that Click Five song? "She can't keep a secret for more than an hour." That's me.
You fold your underwear: Heeeeee! Oh man, no. I never even know where in my room to LOOK for my underwear!
You talk in your sleep: YES. I do. In fact, I'm asleep right now. Amaaaaaaaazing, I am.
You set your watch ahead: Hecks no! How do you expect me to know what time it is?!
You bite your fingernails: NOOO! I love my fingernails! I feel bad clipping them! What have they ever done to me?!
You believe in love: Of bloody course I do, who do you think I am?

last...

movie you rented: The Owl and the Pussycat
movie you bought: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
song you listened to: "Falling"-Ben Kweller
song that was stuck in your head: "In Our Darkest Hour"-Phantom Planet
song you've downloaded: "Elenor Rigby"-The Beatles
cd you listened to: My birthday CD from Jerry. :-D
person you've called: Zachary
person that's called you: Zach
TV show you've watched: Clone High, USA
person you were thinking of: Jerry

do...

you wish you could live somewhere else: Not particularly.
you think about suicide: sometimes: Heavens, no!
you believe in online dating: Indeed.
others find you attractive: Dude, I've got a low self-image... I have no idea what other people think. What I think isn't good, and it's hard to get past that.
you want more piercings: Maybe a couple more in each ear. DIAMONDS, DIAMONDS EVERYWHERE, I TELL YOU!
you want more tattoos: More than what? None at all? No, not so much, thanks.
you drink: Never have, never will.
you do drugs: Once again- never have, never will.
you smoke: This is getting repetitive...
you like cleaning: I think it's obvious from my house that I don't!
you like roller coasters: In general, no. In fact... no. If there are large drops involved, you can count me out. I don't fancy getting the wind knocked out of me, as it turns out. Hurray for spinny rides!
you write in cursive or print: Print
you carry a donor card: I tried to write on the back of my license that ya'll can take whatever you want if I'm dead, but it doesn't really work.

have you...

ever cried over a boy/girl: Oh hecks yeah.
ever lied to someone: Oh yes.
ever been in a fist fight: No ma'am.
ever been arrested: No sir.

what...

shampoo do you use: Whatever happens to be in the shower. It's Aussie right now, which is a definite favorite of mine.
perfume do you use: Free samples!
shoes do you wear: Depends on the weather, yo.
are you scared of: The dark, sharp knives, rejection, the plague (although I seem to have contracted it), billions of horror movies, real-looking dolls, statues, psychos, ghosts, your mom... What am I NOT afraid of would be an easier question.

number...

of times you have been in love?: 1
of times you have had your heart broken?: There have been 3 times where I could actually feel my heart break.
of hearts you have broken?: Psha! 0.
of boys/girls you have kissed?: 4.
of people you consider your enemies: 3
of cds' that you own? Dude, I dunno. 'Bout 70, maybe?
of times your name has appeared in the newspaper? Around 7, I'd say.
of things in your past that you regret?: 16.2 billion.

Currently Playing
Bookworm Deluxe!

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Why Matt Owes Me a Pizza)

2006-03-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

Current mood: lethargic

Oh, great. Matt has decided to "tag" me with this chain letter in disguise. Since it is technically a survey, and since I have obsessive-compulsive disorder and therefore cannot turn down a challenge of the internet sort (or the world will explode... you understand), I must fill this out. Matt- you owe me a pizza.
Now, here's the obligotory rules and crap:

"I've been tagged!

So the rules are, once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with "6 weird things/habits about yourself". In the end you need to choose the 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read yours."

1. I can, and do, crack all of the joints on my body, as well as some parts that don't qualify as joints. *Shrugs and crackles*

2. I am one of the few vegetarians you will ever meet who despises most vegetables. I really only like the ones that count as carbs. *Chomps on a raw potato*

3. I'm deathly horrified of the dark. Who knows, it might stab me in my sleep someday! But, of course, it won't because I sleep with a light on! Hmm... and I wonder why I'm single.

4. I've never consumed a drop of alcohol, smoked anything, or done any sort of drugs, and never will. I figure I'm insane enough as it is.

5. Because of my aforementioned obsessive-compulsive disorder, the following words are always running through my head: Love, safety, freedom, fun, courage, inspiration, happiness, friendship, faith, and success. Creepy, eh? And quite annoying too, I assure you.

6. I'm sure that at least 65% my time is spent reading Harry/Hermione smut. What a productive waste of time!

Unwillingly, I suppose I will tag Z-bear, Tracey, Crystal, Lou, Lindsay, and... JPM!

-Holly

Online Quizzes Are All the Rage

2006-03-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

Current mood: obsessive-compulsive

You Are 60% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded.

Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints.

But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line.

You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Your Inner Blood Type is Type B

You follow your own rules in life, even if you change the rules every day.

Sure, you tend to be off the wall and unpredictable, but that's what makes you lovable.

And even though you're a wild child, you have the tools to be a great success.

You are able to concentrate intently - and make the impossible possible.

You are most compatible with: B and AB

Famous Type B's: Leonardo Di Caprio and

What's Your Inner Blood Type?

You Are a Newborn Soul

You are tolerant, accepting, and willing to give anyone a chance.

On the flip side, you're easy to read and easily influenced by others.

You have a fresh perspective on life, and you can be very creative.

Noconformist and nontraditional, you've never met anyone who's like you.

Inventive and artistic, you like to be a trendsetter.

You have an upbeat spirit and you like almost everything.

You make friends easily and often have long standing friendships.

Implusive and trusting, you fall in love a little too easily.

Souls you are most compatible with: Bright Star Soul and Dreaming Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have high extroversion.

You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.

You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation.

Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!"

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.

You're generally good at balancing work and play.

When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.

But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.

You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.

Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.

You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have medium neuroticism.

You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.

Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.

Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.

In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.

You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.

A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Your Musical Tastes Match: Weird Al

See his whole playlist here (iTunes required)

What Celebrity Matches Your Taste in Music?

The Movie Of Your Life Is An Indie Flick

You do things your own way - and it's made for colorful times.

Your life hasn't turned out how anyone expected, thank goodness!

Your best movie matches: Clerks, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting.

You focus on living a quality life.

You're not easily impressed with novelty.

Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

You Are 20% Evil

You are good. So good, that you make evil people squirm.

Just remember, you may need to turn to the dark side to get what you want!

How Evil Are You?

Your IQ Is 80

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Below Average

Your General Knowledge is Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

You Are Italian Food

Comforting yet overwhelming.

People love you, but sometimes you're just too much.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Currently

playing
:

The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack

Release date: By 28 February, 2005

The Cheat is Not Dead. Neither is Holly

2006-02-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

Wow. I used to have an online diary! Look! Amazing. Okay, look. I'm really sorry, but I've been distracted. Yes, for the past year. I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to writing, but I'm going to make up for it right now... with a survey! ...Of sorts. Okay, who's ready for the popular internet game... Guess the Song Title! You all know the rules! I listen to random songs on my iPod and type some'a the lyrics in here and you all get to waste time guessing which song the lyrics came from! And I'll even throw in a bonus and give you pictures of who the lyrics are by! Huzzah! Heeeeeeeeeeeere we go!

1. I would die for you... I would die for you. I've been dying just to feel you by my side. To know that you're mine. I will cry for you, I will cry for you. I will wash away your pain with all my tears and drown your fear.

2. From the first breath of her life, she flew straight into my arms. I used to catch her from the swings when she was 5. Now she dances on the wind in a world as hard as stone. She's so anxious to begin and read to fly.

3. We were drawn from the wheels. We were brave like soldiers, falling down under the pale moonlight. You were holding me like someone broken and I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now: just let me hold you while you're falling apart.

4. What's the time? Well, it's gotta be close to midnight. My body's talking to me. It says time for danger. It says I wanna commit a crime. Wanna be the cause of a fight. Wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt with a stranger.

5. I can't be losing sleep over this, no I can't. And now I cannot stop pacing. Give me a few hours, I'll have this all sorted out. If my mind would just stop racing... 'Cause I cannot stand still. I can't be there so sturdy. This cannot be happening.

6. It's like you're a drug. It's like you're a demon I can't face down, it's like I'm stuck... It's like I'm running from you all the time. And I know I let you have all the power. It's like the only company I seek is misery all around. It's like you're a leech... sucking the life from me.

7. I worry I weigh 3 times my body. I worry I throw my fear around. But this morning, there's a calm I can't explain. The rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain. By the time I recognize this moment, this moment will be gone.

8. Hold me now... stop the morning light from breaking, something's coming over me. I don't know what it is I'm saving. The clock ticks by and it just might change everything. If I don't give you all that's waiting, who knows what tomorrow will bring?

9. Well... the Poopsmith, he could talk. And Mazipan would rock. And the stick would be this big ol' tree who tried to eat everyone except the Cheat and me. And the King of Town would be underground in a box filled up with peas.

10. We went to the coffee/tea shop on our first date... and it started off great. We made with the talkingn and it was just fine but it soon turned into that awkward silence and I didn't know what to do next. So we sat there with all the couple kissing. And soon, things began deteriorating. And you began turning into the human hosepipe.

11. I had it tough when I was just a little kid; it didn't matter what I thought, it didn't matter what I did. I felt the doubt for what I lacked right from the start. It did a number on my head, but it could never touch my heart. 'Cause I had just enough imagination, just enough to keep the faith.

12. I linger in the doorway of alarm clocks screaming, monsters calling my name. Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me. Where the raindrops, as they're falling, tell a story. In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby, I lie inside myself for hours, then watch my purple sky fly over me.

13. Creeping up on you is the wrong thing to do. I found your address, got you phone number too. Visit all the stores where you buy all your clothes. Been to secret places you think nobody knows. If I have to live without you, nobody could. I need to be around you, watching you.

14. It's so quiet, walking along the edge. It won't be long now till I forget who I am. I am so afraid to move forward. All the mistakes I've made surround me. So I run away. I cannot face what I'm throwing away. It's just as well. You could always tell when I was hollow.

15. They were the sweetest wonds I've ever heard, my heart could barely take it in, like water offered to the lips of a tired and thirsty man. 'Cause it's a tangled web I've woven and I don't know all the reasons, but it amazes me to wake up to your mercy every morning.

16. Oh, I couldn't live a single day without you. Actually, on second though, well, I suppose I could. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, honey, you're the greatest. Well, at any rate, I guess you're pretty good. Now it seems to me, I'm relatively lucky. I know I probably couldn't ask for too much more. I honestly can say you're an above-average lady. You're almost just what I've been looking for.

17. Well, he looks at me with those innocent eyes and says, "It looks like you're wearing some kind of disguise because your hair sticks up, your shoes are untied, and I hope that you got that shirt at half-price." And every word I say falls flat on the floor. I try to tell a joke, he's heard it before.

18. Move your body like a hairy troll learning how to rock and roll. Spin around like a crazy elf dancing by himself. Get down like a unicorn. No stopping till the break of dawn. Put your hands up in the air... like an ogre who just don't care.

19. We like to buy, we like to spend, to keep up with the latest trends, but we don't get no satisfaction living like a slave to fashion. No more thinking for yourself... just get it off a shelf. Oh, why be perfect? No, it's not worth it. Don't be so obsessed. Come on, give it a rest. This is not some contest. Just do your best. 'Cause nobody's perfect.

20. I don't want to stand on a stage with a sword. I went to a pantomime once. I was bored. I'm not a poetical sort of a person like you. When I need a poem, the street and the gutters will do. There's Tommy Flannigan who lights the gas lamps. 190 lamps in Phoenix Pack alone. He's done it drunk for over 57 years... in Dublin.

Here's hoping I'll write a real entry before 2007! Woo!

<3, Holly

You Can Only Talk About Potatoes So Long

2005-05-24T14:43:00.000-04:00

Jerry was in a play called A Man of No Importance recently. I'll talk about that next entry. I've actually already written most of that entry. I just don't feel like finishing it right now, and I've got to get to work. Perhaps I'll write about that later, too. But the point I'm trying to make here is, Jerry leant me his Man of No Importance soundtrack, and this chick who plays that girl in the blue coat sings, "You can only talk about potatoes so long." Well, I've got news for her.

Potatoes are delicious. They're full in carbie-goodness. Why, I love potatoes so much, I could eat them every day of the year. If I were a potato farmer, let me tell you, I would be a happy Holly. Just last night, I ate mashed potatoes with a side of fries, which were filled with... YOU GUESSED IT! ...potatoes. Earlier that day, I had some hash browns. I never understood what was up with that punishment where they make people peel potatoes. I mean, dude--you could turn those babies into sweet potato cassarole! Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about potatoes.

Alright, I guess I should get to work now, but you kids remember to eat your frickin' potatoes. They're delectable. Now just sit back and enjoy these lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic.

"Addicted to Spuds"

Potato skins, potato cakes

Hash browns and instant flakes

Baked or boiled or French fried

There's no kind you haven't tried

You planned a trip to Idaho

Just to watch potatoes grow

I understand how you must feel

I can't deny they've got a peel

Wo, you like 'em whether they're plain or they're stuffed, oh yeah

Better face the facts, it seems you can't get enough

You know, you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to spuds

Your greasy hands, your salty lips

Looks like you found the chips

Your belly aches, your teeth grind

Some tater tots would blow your mind

And you don't mind if they're not cooked

You need your fix, I guess you're hooked

And late at night you always dream

Of bacon bits and sour cream

Wo, you like 'em even if they're lumpy or tough, oh yeah

It's pretty obvious to me you can't get enough

You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to spuds

Might as well face it, you're addicted to spuds

Might as well face it, you're addicted to spuds

Might as well face it, you're addicted to spuds

Might as well face it, you're addicted to spuds

Might as well face it, you're addicted to spuds

I'm giving up, it's just no use

Another case of spud abuse

What can I say, what can I do

Potato bug has got me, too

Woah, I used to hate 'em, now they're all that I eat, oh yeah

I've often seen 'em whipped, but they just can't be beat

Now I'm gonna have to face it, I'm addicted to spuds

See, blue-coated girl? Weird Al wrote a whole song about potatoes! I guess I showed that fictional character!

<3,>

Holly's Guide to the Movies

2005-04-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

Hello, I'm Holly Zintel. You may remember me from such rants as "Love Trent or Get Bent (a Daria/Trent 'Shipper's Thoughts)" and "I Demand Veganaise (A Demand For Veganaise)". I was at Border's the other day to renew my enthusiasm for life (that's where you go to do that... it just is) and I found that I couldn't afford that book I wanted about a hot, British musician boy who's obsessed with this girl who's on drugs (it's called Candy by Kevin Brooks). I was very upset about not being able to afford Candy (don't worry, I have it now), but what could I do? I sat down to drink my mango smoothie with my mum. While I sipped on the delicious nectars of artificial colors and sweeteners that make up the Borders Mango Smoothie, I skimmed through a book called Cinematherapy: The Girl's Guide to Movies For Every Mood by Beverly West and Nancy Peske. I found solace in the book. It told me to rent Edward Scissorhands... and by God, I did. I'd forgotten the movie existed, and had only seen it when I was about 6 years old. When I watched it as a 21-year-old, it seemed even more brilliant. The book also told me to rent Win a Date With Tad Hamilton. The book was right... it was good. But you know what this book made me realize? I could rip off their idea! And now... I will in: Holly's... Guide... to... the... MOVIES!1. Moulin RougePlot: A beautiful hooker named Satine (Nicole Kidman) becomes the object of a really hot writer's (Christian's) affection... also, this hideous, evil rich dude called the Duke likes her. And they're got friends. Lots of them... circus-lookin' folk, even. Christian (Ewan McGregor) writes a musical for Satine and all his friends to be in! But will the evil rich dude ruin the show as well as a beautiful relationship? P.S. Satine's got quite a cough. What's up with that? Holly's Overall Thoughts: This was the best movie of all time. Ewan McGregor, in all his hotness, pulled off the most heart-wrenchingly emotional scene I've ever seen. And oh God, that singing voice! Also, Nicole did very well. And there was glitter and theatre everywhere! Does it get any better than that?! Hot Guy: Ewan McGregor, the epitome of hotness. Great Songs: "Come What May", "Elephant Love Medley", "Your Song", "Roxanne", "The Show Must Go On", etc. Moment You Should Watch For: When Christian goes to Satine to tell her, "I don't want you to sleep with [the duke]." Even though he's proven himself this amazing, talented, romantic hero, he just seems like a lost little boy who doesn't want his mom to leave him at pre-school. She tries to go and he gets all choked up, holding her and crying, "No... no."

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Plot: It's Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe's) third year at Hogwarts, and it's gonna be awesome. Well, you know, except for the guy who betrayed Harry's parents and sent them to their deaths. Yeah, that guy's back in the picture. It'll be fun. Will Harry and Hermione (Emma Watson) hook up in this movie? Probably not, since they didn't in the book, eh? But maybe the next movie! Wait, no... that's based on the book too! But maybe the next... no, wait... Holly's Overall Thoughts: If you don't love this movie, I probably don't love you. It's Harry Potter, for God's sake! And it features Hermione, my favorite character! And Buckbeak is there. Anyway, I think this Harry Potter movie has been the best of the three that have come out so far. It was brilliantly directed, and kept me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew what was coming. Hot Guy: Daniel Radcliffe, A.K.A. Mr. Hot Great Songs: That "Something Wicked This Way Comes" song was pretty catchy. Moment You Should Watch For: Harry holding Hermione in a moment of terror. I know what kind of terror, but I won't tell you, in case you haven't seen the movie yet.

3. Edward ScissorhandsPlot: The friendly neighborhood Avon lady (Diane Wiest) isn't having a lot of luck selling her products this season. But look! In the distance! A creepy castle on a hill, which contains a very hot gothic boy who has scissors for hands (Johnny Depp)! His face is all pale and scarred up from him accidentally scratching his face (it was itchy, dammit), so she can test her products out on him and he can come to live with her and her family! But wait... who's that beautiful girl? Why, the Avon lady's daughter is a lovely teenage girl named Kim (a blonde Winona Rider), with whom Edward falls instantly in love. But Kim is dating a horrible guy named Jim who happens to hate Edward. How will Edward handle this (or anything at all, without scratching it up)? Holly's Overall Thoughts: Ah, my latest obsession. I loved this movie when I was 6, and I love it even more now that I've devloped an unhealthy obsession with Johnny Depp. I love him in this--he's so polite and sweet, and little boyish. What a doll... I want to take him home and put makeup on him. Hot Guy: Johnny Depp--the hottest guy ever to live. Great Songs: The score is by Danny Elfman, the guy who did Spiderman, and the music sounds awesome. Moment You Should Watch For: I'm a sucker for when Kim asks Edward to hold her and he tries really hard before he defeatedly tells her, "I can't."

4. Orange CountyPlot: Shaun Brumder (Colin Hanks) discoveres a book in the sand in his home town of Orange County, CA that makes him want to be a writer--a writer taught by the book's author, Marcus Skinner, at Stanford University. So he applied... and didn't get in. Now he and his drug-addict brother Lance (Jack Black), eternal optimist girlfriend Ashley (Schuyler Fisk) will do anything to get Shaun into Stanford. Holly's Overall Thoughts: Orange County isn't just a place... it's my whole reason for living. Hee. No, I don't love it that much, that was just a line from the movie. A lot of people hate this movie, but I love it, and think it's one of the most hilarious things ever, especially the old chick who says, "Do you like John Grisham? I sure do!" Hot Guy: Colin Hanks and one of Shaun's surfer dude friends... Colin reminds me of his dad Tom, but hotter. Great Songs: "Shadow Stabbing" by Cake and "California" by Phantom Planet Moment You Should Watch For: After Lance burns down the admissions building and is talking to Ben Stiller about it. "She was all like, 'I hate my job, I'm gonna burn this mother down!' and I said, 'You better not! You better not.'"

5. Benny & JoonPlot: Benny (Aidan Quinn) has no life outside of working on cars and taking care of his "mentally ill" sister (she might be autistic, they never say). After spotting Sam (Johnny Depp) in a tree, Joon wins him in a card game. No, I'm serious. She wins Johnny Depp in a card game. He must be autistic or something too, but he's so eccentric, talented, and charming that Joon falls in love with him, and he falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Benny's still trying to find himself a girlfriend. Will he pull it off? Because, I mean, he doesn't look very good compared to Johnny Depp. Holly's Overall Thoughts: What a sweet, amazing movie this is. I want to know where the hell I can find a card game in which I have a chance of winning autistic Johnny Depp. If you don't like this movie, I will personally stab you in the eye. Hot Guy: Johnny Depp... still the hottest guy ever Great Songs: Sam plays a really cool song with a balloon as his instrument. Moment You Should Watch For: Sam and Joon's big love scene... it's the sweetest thing you'll ever watch. <3, Holly

Beautiful Disaster

2004-06-19T14:36:00.000-04:00

"It's the first time I ever felt this lonely. I wish someone would cure this pain. It's funny when you think it's gonna work out... till you chose weed over me, you're so lame. Can't you see that you lie to yourself? You can't see the world through a mirror. It wont be too late when the smoke clears. 'Cause I, I am still here. But everytime I try to make you smile, you're always feeling sorry for yourself. Everytime I try to make you laugh... you can't, you're too tough. You think you're loveless. Is that too much that I'm asking for?"--"Too Much to Ask"--Avril Lavigne

I never really had friends in high school, except for Sarah, who never had my same lunch hour, and not many of my classes. I remember sitting at my desk and trying to concentrate on weird-arsed journalism assignments, but those freaking preps never shut up. The preps bragged about how wasted they'd gotten over the weekend, the goths actually handed each other bags of weed in the halls, and the freaks were always so obviously high. I was disgusted by all of these groups of people. The only kids who seemed cool to me were the straight-edge band nerds and, since I didn't play an instrument, I hung out by myself, paranoid that every single group made fun of me. I couldn't believe these people did all these drugs, after everything we learned about in health class. I swore I would never hang out with people who knowingly killed their brain cells & altered their perception like that.

I finally made friends in college. As soon as I experienced the thrill of theatre, I knew that was where I belonged. These people seemed to genuinely like me. I became friends with Jerry immediately and, over the months, I fell in love with this incredible gayboy. Life was suddenly wonderful because Jerry was my friend.He drowns in his dreams...He was the most talented, passionate person I'd ever met. The moment I found out he drank all the time and smoked pot every once in a while, I was devastated.An exquisite extreme, I knowI couldn't just stop being his friend... Jerry wasn't one of those nameless high school druggies that I'd so easily called losers.He's as damned as he seemsI was amazed, though... how could someone who was so smart in every other aspect of life do those things to his body?And more Heaven that a heart could holdI knew he was sad, but why did he think drinking and drugs would help? My family didn't entirely understand why I was still hanging out with Jerry. It was because, when I looked at him, I didn't see some guy who did things I completely disagreed with. I still saw one of the most extraordinary people I'd ever met. I wanted to help him somehow, even though he didn't think he needed help. And if I try to save him, my whole world could cave in. It just ain't right... it just ain't right

He recently started attending AA meetings, and I couldn't be prouder of him for that. But at the same time he started AA, he joined a band, which I thought would be great for him. True, he seemed happier now that he could sing all the time, but he now had to go away for a week at a time & at night, the band would sit around a campfire, drinking and smoking pot. He told me these trips were the most fun he'd ever had. That stung. The most fun I've ever had has been with him. I really like Jerry's new bandmate and friend, Shannon. In fact, I think of her as my friend too. But she does smoke weed, and when Jerry's with her, he does too.

The other night, I was at a late-night diner with Jerry and Shannon. After we ate, they wanted to go to her house and watch a movie. But they wanted to smoke pot while they were there. Shannon asked if it'd be cool with me if she & Jerry went ahead and smoked, and then I could come over and we'd watch the movie, so I wouldn't have to see them get high. I understand that she was trying to be nice to me, but I can't be around people who are high. I went home and cried, amazed that I'd been able to keep my composure around them (for once) until I could get into my car and break down in tears. I felt like they'd rather get high than be with me, because they knew I would have continued hanging out with them if they'd just kept away from the pot, and we all could've watched the movie together. And that wasn't all that bothered me... every time I thought about Jerry doing that crap to himself, my insides froze. He didn't seem to understand, but I knew he was endangering his health, his amazing personality, and his incredible talent. Before I'd left the restaurant, I told him I at least wanted him to wait till the high wore off before he drove home. But I researched facts on weed (which Jerry always tells me are complete bullcrap) and a high can last for hours. Thinking about the delayed reaction time marijuana gives a person, I laid my head down on the desk and basically had a nervous breakdown. As much as I love them both & I believe they love me, I get the impression that Jerry and Shannon think I'm a naive little girl.

I can't convince him to stop. I can't talk to anyone about it. I feel so alone... powerless... hurt. Terrified. There's nothing I can do. My tears won't help, but I can't stop them.

<3,>

Straight Eye For the Queer Guy

2004-03-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

Holly's Headlines or Things Holly Has Learned Recently

Hugging Jerry is good; colds are gross

New theatre class not up to students' standards

Holly is cast as Alice in Lost, a confused character who is basically Holly herself

Meg and Jerry are cast in Interiors as the dirty psyches of proper people

Kyle is cast as normal guy Dan in Scuba Lessons

Columbiaville Mansion will be transformed... (Harold Ziddler style) INTO A THEATRE! Kyle will be in charge of the plays, Jerry will be directing, and all four of us will be acting. Our first show will be Rebecca

Kyle and Meg move in with Jerry; color is introduced to his apartment

At Holly's 20th birthday dinner, we discovered that Jerry would marry Holly had he been born straight

Sarah will be giving birth to Kaitlin Marie any time now

So theatre class is not entirely thrilling this semester. Lori, the only theatre teacher I've ever had, has quit. We all thought Lori was the best thing since sliced bread, even the folks who'd had other theatre teachers. Lori let us use our imaginations and play around with our scripts. I Hate Hamlet was the best experience of my life... and no, it wasn't just the all the physical interaction with Jerry. *Grins* But that was definitely a plus. That play was a challenge. I learned to speak with a German accent for the role, Jerry and I actually had to learn to dance, the boys had to figure out how they should sit while wearing tights... It was incredible, the whole experience. The main thing was that Lori encouraged us to have so much fun with the play. When our work was done, we still wanted to go to J.W.'s and hang out. I had my 2 first kisses there with my fellow theatre students, Chris and a very drunk Jerry (he seems to turn straight when he's drinking, so you'd think I'd approve of his love of alcohol, wouldn't you?).

This semester, our teacher is Amy. She doesn't seem to enjoy our idiotic antics nearly as much as Lori did. And instead of doing one whole play, we'll be doing short little plays that should confuse the audience nicely. She likes yelling at Jerry, Meg & Kyle for swearing, but she's just assigned Jerry and Meg to parts where they say dirty, dirty things that will do a wonderful job of offending my grandparents. Kyle will, of course, be playing the attractive guy who gets the attractive girl. And I've got the part of the confused girl who has no clue what's going on with anything in life. Do you see what's happening here? We're all playing ourselves. There's no challenge here. *Sigh* But I'm sure it'll be sort of entertaining. And hey, what am I complaining about? I got a part. *Smacks self and promply resumes writing entry in usual Happy-Go-Lucky-Holly manner*The fun news is, Meg & Kyle have moved in with Jerry! Last Wednesday, after theatre, Jerry and Meg stayed in the car and were sad about their exes while Kyle and I moved his and Meg's things inside the apartment. It turns out that Straight Boy knows how to decorate, and he really surprised the heck outta me when he put in Savage Garden to work to. Who knew the gay guy would suck at decorating, and the straight guy would be so good at it? Eventually, Meg and Jerry came in and the full-out decorating & consumption of Jerry's awesome vegan tacos began. I've never seen Jerry's apartment look so neat... and so colorful. Meg's big, red Buddha umbrella hangs in the corner above Jerry's beautiful wicker and glass table. Kyle's picture of our cast from The Elvis Monolouges is upstairs in what is now his and Meg's bedroom. Meg & Kyle hung her huge purple tapestry on the upstairs ceiling while I snapped pictures galore. We all got little-kid excited by the end of the night, and I caught this hilarious candid video of Jerry that he's very upset about. We've dubbed the place The Theatre Apartment, and plan to film a sitcom starring the four of us called Creative Differences. T'will be very lovely indeed.

<3, Holly

Two Guys, a Girl and the Odd Chick Out

2004-02-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

Hi kids! Sorry I haven't written in such a ridiculously long time... I'll be catching up on all your lives (I've missed that a lot) A.S.A.P.!

In my 3rd semester of theatre, I became very good friends with 3 fellow drama kids, who I love to death. There's Jerry, the hot gay boy who is hilarious, sinngs like a sexy-arsed angel, and has become a vegan & animal rights activist over the course of the three months. There's Meg, the beautifully eccentric girl who says cute things & meows a lot. And finally, there's Kyle, the ultimate nice guy who is adorable & extremely humorous. When Kyle & Meg aren't making out or fighting, they're meowing "I love you" to each other.We were all in I Hate Hamlet together in November, and we've been inseperable ever since. In December, we took a bus trip to Ohio with my step-dad's hockey team, my step-dad, and my mom, where Jerry sang the National Anthem, Kyle filmed, and Meg and I were subjected to a sport. *Shudders* We stayed in Ohio overnight (since Jerry would be singing for the game the next day, too) and I must say, I was very excited about sleeping in a bed with Jerry... until he snored in my ear. We did have lots of fun making sandwiches for the hockey players in preparation of the trip, and purchasing lovely things in the awesome downtown shopping district. Most of the time these days, we all just hang out at J.W.'s, where Jerry sings karaoke and I sit there, being in unrequited love with him... and video taping, of course. Check out the way he sings "I'll Be".Everyone quickly learned how anti-alcohol, anti-smoking, anti-drugs, & anti-conformity I am one night when we all went to a Coney Island after an I Hate Hamlet rehearsal. My three new friends, along with Justin, another theatre kid, all wanted to go out to their cars and smoke pot. I was shocked and unbelievably upset to find out that they did this stuff to themselves, and that they would do it in my presence. I immediately burst into tears upon hearing what they wanted to do, and everyone said they felt terrible for making me feel so horrible, and decided not to do it around me. Meg and Kyle still continued to smoke cigarettes every second of the day, Jerry kept "smoking socially," as he called it, and he seemed to get drunk nearly every time we went to the karaoke bar. I worried about them all constantly, especially Jerry, whom I had grown the closest to. I was relieved beyond belief when Jerry made the New Year's Resolution to stop smoking, and I was thrilled when he made a vow to never drink as much as he did the night before Thanksgiving, when he got so drunk, he couldn't give me directions to his house, and he had to sleep it off on my living room couch. But New Year's came and went, and Jerry kept smoking, and even got extremely drunk again-- at least I knew how to drive to his apartment by then. I became depressed (not to mention sick from the smoke) every time we went to a bar. I went home crying every night... couldn't he see how much he was hurting me by hurting himself? Or did he just not care? I took to shooting Jerry dirty looks every time he ordered a mug of beer or a shot, and was extremely upset when he tricked me into paying for one of his shots.A few nights ago, Jerry invited me to his apartment, where we would hang out with Meg and Kyle, like usual. But when I got there, they all kept going into the bathroom together. I figured they were doing drugs (it had really smelled like pot in there to me...) & felt like they must think I was a real moron to not guess what they were doing. I felt humiliated, assuming they'd all had a big laugh, thinking they'd pulled one over on me. I called Jerry up the next day and demanded that he tell me what had been going on in the bathroom. He admitted they'd been drinking beer, and that they'd stashed it in the bathtub when I'd knocked on the door. Trying not to cry & failing, I told him how hurt I was that they'd lied to me, and that if they were going to be doing stuff that they knew would bother me, don't invite me in the first place.Jerry and Meg came to my house the next day and explained to me that they wanted me around, but they had wanted to drink really bad, so they hid it from me since they knew I'd have one of my emotional breakdowns & leave if I was aware of what was going on. They said that they love me, but feel like they have to tiptoe around me & can't completely be themselves when I'm there. I don't want them to feel like that, but I worry about them so much, and I just don't know what to do.

<3,>

In Love (Scenes) With a Gay Guy

2003-11-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

Theatre is going marvelously. We're now holding practices at Buckham Alley, where the play will be held, and I must say I adore the place. Wednesday we painted the set burgundy and went over the dramatic & romantic scenes. The place is right in the ghetto-- homeless people sneak in and sleep in our dressing room & rats live in the props. But other than that, the place is lovely! *Claps excitedly* My gaspingly romantic scene with Jerry has become even more-so. I was delighted when he decided we should go off on our own and practice our scene repeatedly. Toward the end of the scene, when we're dancing, we (as our characters) say:BARRYMORE: You know, Lillian, there is another question that many ask. A question regarding certain activities and their practice in the next world.LILLIAN: You mean activities of a physical nature.BARRYMORE: Aren't you curious?LILLIAN: Surprise me.Jerry suggested that Barrymore should really surprise Lillian by goin' in for a fervent kiss there. I was very fond of this idea, but Lori wishes for him to spin me into his arms in a hot, tango-like move. *Shrugs* Which is still fine with me, of course. *Runs outside to screech excitedly like a 13-year-old at a Justin Timberlake concert or other such nonsense* I feel that we should dance to "Let's Make a Night (To Remember)" by Bryan Adams, but no. There will be romantic '40s music... possibly a song called "Dream Dancing" by an old fellow named Ray Anthony and his orchestra. *Waves to Grandpa in thanks*

Obviously, I've had a crush on Jerry for a while. Wednesday night, he managed to change that. After theatre, I rode with him to J.W.'s for karaoke. Lovable theatre members Meg and Ben met us there, as did Jerry's pals, Amanda and Kristi. Meg & I were a bit worried that it's a 21 and older bar, but we had no trouble. As soon as I got there, I signed up to sing "Lucky One" by Amy Grant. I immediately regretted this when Jerry and Kristi got up and sang "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge. They we incredible! As loud as the music was, I'm sure my heart could be heard thudding like crazy. Jerry was better than Ewan freaking McGregor. Just look, here's a mini-video I taped of them singing "Come What May". Then DJ man announced, "Now here's Holly with 'Lucky One'!" And there I was. On stage with my braided pig-tails and total lack of singing talent. Afterwards, Meg told me, "You looked so adorably innocent... I loved it, dahling!" A while later, Jerry sang "Your Song" Moulin Rouge-style & I believe that's when I melted into a puddle of a warm butter-like substance on my chair. *Gestures helplessly to link* Just watch the man sing "Your Song". I don't have a crush on Jerry. *Guiltily smacks self on forehead* I'm head over pink tennis shoes in love with the guy! Oh, the warm, endless hugs he gives... Those gorgeous eyes (sometimes pine green with specks of brilliant gold, sometimes the exact opposite). The way he's so sweet, hilarious and irresistibly adorble. His voice... speaking and singing. But then there's also the way he tells me, "I need a boyfriend, Holly," and tirelessly continues his search for his perfect guy, while I've already found mine... and he's gay. Sigh. Oh man, I still can't get over the fact that I stayed out till 3:30 A.M. at a bar with fun people who think it's cute that I dislike the idea of drinking and smoking. I especially heart Meg, with her snazzy faux-fur coats, always amazingly creative displays of eyeshadow on her lids, and adorable way of speaking. She says things like, "I enjoy that coat" and proclaims her undying love for random objects and people at will. *Squeezes her*I must go now, to begin writing a play based on tonight's theatre adventures, which I'll tell you all about in my next entry. Did you all check out the wonderful caricature Zach did of me, on my front page? If not, CHECK IT OUT! *Hugs*

<3,>

How Fencing Can Be Hot

2003-11-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

I was pretty dang excited at theatre the other night when Jerry asked me to go karaoke-ing with him. I'd always wanted to try karaoke (despite the fact that I completely lack musical talent), but this would have taken place at a bar in an extremely dangerous part of town. So naturally, I called up my best friend and begged her to come with me. Sarah said she'd go with me under two conditions, 1. she could bring Matt and 2. she wouldn't have to sing. None of us minded that this was a gay bar, but what bothered me was the "bar in a dangerous area at 11 P.M." part. Before 11:00 rolled around, I had wussed out, called Jerry and asked him if we could hang out in a non-bar atmosphere in the daytime where I wouldn't be afraid to step outside of my car. *Rolls up into a ball and cowers* Being an extreme wimp sucks sometimes. Jerry and I met up with Sarah and Matt at Pizza Hut Wednesday evening before theatre. Over the course of our pineapple dessert pizza, Sarah and I decided to play "Guess Jerry's Age." She guessed 19 and I guessed 20. "Way off!" he told us. "I'm 30." *Clunk, clunk* went our jaws as they hit the table. He doesn't look or act 30-years-old at all. Whoa. We stayed and talked about everything from Jerry's and my histories in theatre to Sarah & Matt's upcoming baby (Kaitlin Marie, they've decided to name her) to how hellish high school was. Then we went to the mall to get some frozen cappuccinos, and for once in my life, I was actually late to theatre. Dun dun dun! Sarah and Matt thought Jerry was almost as amazingly awesome as I think he is. But not quite, of course. After all, they haven't seen him play John Barrymore yet. And until they see that, they haven't lived.

I realize you're all sick to death of hearing about theatre, so I think I'll talk about it a little more! I seem to have become rather attached to the regal German accent I use when I'm Lillian, so I use it everywhere I go, which greatly annoys Zach. I also have a tendency to buy my character gifts. I bought Lillian this huge "diamond" ring and ritzy faux-fur jacket. Not only do I love playing my part, I love watching everyone else (especially Jerry and Kyle [Barrymore & Andrew]) act. Their fencing scene is brilliantly cool, and I'm sure it's extremely wrong that I find that scene hot. *Grins guiltily* They just keep jumping all over the stage and Jerry's got that deep voice of his that I think is so ridiculously sexy and... sigh. I have a problem, don't I?Mom and Mike are back together for the moment. After staying at my grandparents' house for a few days, Mom went back to work and realized that she really missed Mike. Mom asked me how I felt about the situation. I thought about it and we were both surprised to realize how much I want their marriage to work. They're good together, they just have an awful lot of bumps in their relationship. She went back home that night, but she's laying down some serious rules, and now I'm just hoping everything works out for the best.

<3,>

The Dramatic Entry

2003-10-24T14:25:00.000-04:00

Sigh. Double sigh. Sigh, sigh, sigh. For the past couple of weeks, I've been coming to theatre and wistfully watching the sweet scenes between Kyle's and Jessie's characters (Andrew and Deirdre), but I've also been teasing them about how they haven't yet added their makeout scenes to their rehearsals. Of course, this is mainly due to the fact that Jessie's boyfriend is furious about her having to kiss Kyle & having Jerry kiss her neck in this play, and Jessie's very distraught about her dude being so mad. But I was totally unaware of this predicament when I was laughing about the total lack of lip-locking between Kyle & Jessie. But Kyle, at least, managed to get his revenge on me last night. Lori finally directed the Lillian/Barrymore scene toward the end of the play that Jerry and I hadn't practiced together yet. Before Lori gave us stage directions, I had no idea that this scene was supposed to be so... "Danielle Steel book" intimate. But it's like... all romantic and intense. Here's how it goes, basically:(The ghost of Barrymore is shocked when Lillian enters and can see him. At first, he doesn't remember her & she's ~~rather~~ extremely irritated by this. But then he remembers... really remembers, and holds his hand out to her. Lillian's still pissed at this "vomanizer" but she takes his hand, and they reminsce about that night when they stole champagne from a party, came back to his apartment, and made love. They passionately embrace and are almost kissing when...)Kyle suddenly decides to imitate porn music. Loudly. Non-acting members of the class decide this is the funniest thing ever. *Is slightly ashamed* I guess I had that coming... When we got back in the swing of things, Jerry had to twirl me into his arms in a stunningly romantic gesture that I managed to ruin, take after take, but actually did it pretty well in the end. But then Jerry and I had to attempt slow-dancing while reading our scripts around each other's necks. *Makes a note to memorize lines ASAP*In other news, I went with Sarah and Matt to the ultrasound last week and am thrilled to announce that they're having a GIRL, they're having a girl! Matt was sort of dissapointed, while Sarah was more tickled than I've ever seen her. I'm so excited, I almost want to get a job, make a few trips to Babies "R" Us and buy 2 years-worth of girlie clothes, teddy bears, and other baby-worthy merchandise. But Sarah has a lot against the color pink, and I don't have time for a job. *Pouts for a bit*

Well, it looks like Mom's marriage to Mike isn't going to last much longer. He's full of promises he can't keep, and she just can't take it anymore. Mom and I stayed at my grandparents' house last night, and Mike keeps calling and... she can't talk to him. It's so heartbreaking to see my mum go through this for a third time. She's the absolute best person in the world, and it's terribly sad that she has to keep going through this crap with guys. To change the subject once again (though not completely), I wish I had a guy in my life. I know it seems like such a weird time to wish for this, what with Mom & Mike's problems, and hearing about boyfriends who are jealous of the other girls kissing guys in our play (nope, it's not just Jessie's boyfriend that's mad). But watching Sarah & Matt and seeing Moulin Rouge-romantic couples everywhere I go, and having this super-close scene with Jerry... really makes me wish I had a guy of my own. And it's scary that I seem to know who the guy is that I want. It hit me tonight when I was watching everyone act out a scene from I Hate Hamlet. Of course, I can never have this guy, what with him being gay and all. Maybe if I could just have a guy that's exactly like him in every single way except that he's not gay. He's so awesome, though... I hardly ever whine about this sort of thing, folks, but I had to get this out. Once again, sigh. When did drama become so... dramatic? Later, everybody.

<3,>

A Lesson in Tough German Elegance

2003-10-17T14:23:00.000-04:00

It was a chaotic Wednesday night two weeks ago at Mott College. The stuffy air in the hallway was thick with tension as theatre students practiced lines in small groups, all from little yellow books titled I Hate Hamlet. Lori would call groups in, one at a time, and every group seemed to want to be the first to audition. I liked how we were able to audition in groups, rather than stand up there in front of Lori and her clipboard alone. After finding out that Lillian (the chick I wanted to play) was supposed to speak in a deep German accent, I got more than a little freaked out, as I'd auditioned for the part with a smoker's voice. As I practiced with various groups in the hallway, I decided I'd like to try out for the part of the phony, suck-up real estate agent, Felicia too. But when Lori asked me to sit out in the audience, I felt my stomach drop-- only Nick, Frankie, Meg and I were sitting out there, while everyone else still got to rehearse and try out some more. This didn't look good at all. Meg and I decided that if we didn't get parts (and we really wanted parts now), we should at least get candy or something for trying so hard. Miraculously, Lori let six of us stay an hour later than usual and audtion our arses off. She told us the cast list would be posted the next day.So Thursday, I went back to the college and checked for a cast list no less than five times. It was never there! I was so anxious, I felt continually sick all day long. I couldn't even eat! And when I can't eat, it's time to call an ambulance and pump my stomach because I must be frickin' sick. I didn't sleep much that night, and I couldn't get to school fast enough Friday morning to see if the cast list was there yet, for the love of Almighty God, before I ripped all my hair out and shipped myself off to the nut house. It was there and I was in the play! I got the part of Lillian, and my kiddo Shawna's going to play Lillian on the alternate days! *Does the ultimate happy dance, which happens to be a combination of the Macarana, the twist, the Monkey and an odd-looking version of jumping jacks* I was so thrilled, I wanted to conjure a patronus or make amends with my arch-nemesis or something. But I don't really have an arch-nemesis, and I can never get the fake wand I bought at K-Mart to do any sort of magic. *Shakes it half-heartedly, then tosses it over shoulder bitterly* So instead, I went to lunch at the lovely, deliciously elegant Italian wonder, Ruggeros, with Sarah. I was all giddy to see that Sarah's tummy is all paunchy, and you just know there's a tiny dude or chick growing in there. I'm excited because I'm going with Sar-bear to her ultrasound tomorrow afternoon and we'll see if she's got a guy bun or a girl bun in the oven. Fun will be had by all.

Currently, I am in my P.J.s and ready to go to sleep, after two long nights of theatre in a row. Not that I did any work tonight... it was more like, Cast B did a ton of acting while Cast A (that's us!) sat around and watched/supervised them. I'm very excited that Cast A looks like this:Andrew Rally: Kyle John Barrymore: Jerry Deirdre McDavey: Jessie Lillian Troy: Holly (that's me! Hoo hoo) Felicia Dantine: Meg Gary Peter Lefkowitz: Justin

Monica and I played with Nick's baby, Jay, a lot. He's a hilarious little guy whose hobbies include drooling all over the place, snoring while he's awake, and staring at random people in complete awe. I heart Jay. *Pats his fluffy, cotton-like hair* I'm having a lot of trouble with this whole German accent thing that my character requires me to have. Lillian's supposed to be this elegant, 80-year-old chain-smoker who speaks in a very deep, tough-sounding German accent. Everyone kind of fears and respects her, but she also has to be extremely likable. *Blinks* It is very hard to do, and my throat hurts so bad after doing the Lillian voice, but it's fun to hack my words out while talking about the torrid love affair I once had with The Famous John Barrymore. Bow chicka-wow-wow. Oh yes... I am the chick.

<3, Holly

Hyperventalation Ensues

2003-09-28T14:22:00.000-04:00

Theatre is different this year in the fact that Lori will no longer be just handing out parts and saying, "Okay, get memorizing." This time we'll have to actually try out for parts. Lori has decided we'll be doing I Hate Hamlet, a play in which there are only 6 parts. However, we're to have the play over a course of 4 nights in November, so Lori's going to try this thing called "double casting." That means, two people will play the same part, but on different nights. *Shrugs* But that still means that only about 12 of us will get parts, out of about 22 people who almost all want to act. So crap. The play goes like this: Andy Rally's a TV actor whose girlfriend, Deirdre, thinks he's hot stuff... but she still refuses to have sex with him, or anyone, much to his dismay. When Andy's show gets canceled, TV producer Gary decides to cast him as Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park, but he... well, isn't a very good actor. So his real estate agent Felicia, his talent agent Lillian & his girlfriend Dierdre, have a seance to bring back the ghost of famous Hamlet actor, John Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's great-great grandpa) to coach Andy so he can play Hamlet well. Sounds good, no?

Wednesday was Script Reading Day in theatre, so we all gathered ourselves into groups of six containing 3 girls and 3 dudes, so that we could read the play together for the first time. In our group, the likable & easily amused Danny played Andy, shy & quiet girl Ashley was Deirdre, good ol' Kyle played Barrymore, cutie-pie Monica was Felicia, the walking pick-up line Ben played Gary, and I was Lillian. I have to say it went quite well, except that Danny seems to be very near-illiterate and Ashley doesn't seem able to say the word "sex" or make out with anyone on stage, as her part requires. Kyle kept helping Danny pronounce words & Ben asked Ashley who turned on the sensors. During this reading, I decided that I very much want to try out for the part of Lillian. She's all old & won't quit smoking... She has hilarious lines, and although Leah will probably also want her part (and may be better at it, seeing as she is a chain-smoker & I'd never touch a cigarette with a 10-foot pole), I REALLY want to be Lillian. I can do a smoker's voice quite well though & perhaps Leah and I can both do the part. I'm not very excited about competing with Leah, as she's my kiddo, but... sigh. I know one thing-- I don't want to do technical work or makeup or directing or... anything other than acting, so over the next week, you can watch me hyperventalate. *Fishes through purse for inhaler* Look, Nick & his wife had their baby and he brought him to class! His name is Jay and Leah seemed to go even more nuts for him than I did.

Mom and I went to Great Lakes Crossing yesterday to look for the I Hate Hamlet script in their bookstores, since Lori didn't make enough copies for everyone, and I must practice before trying out. But they didn't have the script there, or at Borders, or at the Borders here in Flint, or anywhere else. While at the mall, we were bumped into by many foreign people who apparently felt the need to yell things back and forth across the mall to each other in Yugoslavian. In other, completely off-topic news, OH NO, JOHN RITTER DIED! I loved that guy! I had just recently started watching Three's Company reruns and 8 Simple Rules was my favorite show! I watched a special about his life, and Mom and I thought it was quite neat that, when asked what he would do if he wasn't an actor, he replied that he wouldn't want to do anything but act, as that's what I always say... *Hugs for Angel-version of John Ritter as well as his family, friends & cast-mates*

Holly

Improvisational Humping and Daria Is Neat

2003-09-14T14:21:00.000-04:00

Name: Holly
Nicknames: Wanda
Age: 19
Height: 5' 7"
Hair Color: Brown with some fabulously fake blonde highlights
Eye Color: Blue-ish green
Born in: Flint.
Education: Edjamawha? Oh right, my schoolin'. High school ran into my sleeping schedule, so it was pushed aside and replaced by a G. (good) E. (enough) D. (diploma). And now there's college, and I make my own schedule now, so my classes are in the PM nowadays.
Fav. Hobbies: Teaching my dog to talk (she's up to three words and no, they're not "bark, woof and arf"!), reading nerd stories (fan fiction), and acting (like a dork).
Fav. Singers, Groups & Musicians: Amy Grant, Lifehouse, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Michael W. Smith. And Evanescence is fairly awesome as well.
Fav. Movie: The HPs and Orange County, Moulin Rouge.
Fav. Books: The Harry Potter series, courtesy o' J.K. Rowling, the Kissed By An Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler and This Lullabye by Sarah Dessen.
Fav. Animal: Kitties, dogs, horses, they're all good.
Favourite Place you'd want to Visit: Besides Vegas for the 40th time? How 'bout Platform 9 & 3/4? *Grins nerdily*
Fav. Color: Tickle Me Pink (for you weirdos who weren't brought up with Crayola, light pink).
Fav. School Subjects: Theatre an' English.
If you were a character on the Cast of Friends, who would you be?: The guest character who doesn't like any of the normal characters, and brings her friends Daria and Johnny Bravo to make the show better.
If you were a Flower, you would be a...: Holly plant. I'm poisonous yet festive!
If you were a tree, you would be a...: Peach tree. Mmm, peaches...

As pertains to Harry Potter:
House: Gryffindor. I used to think I'd be in Hufflepuff since I tend to be all optimistic and I tend to be a bit of a doormat, but I don't like doing work like the 'puffs and folks tell me you've got to be brave to be a theatre major.
Favorite Book: Good ol' book 3, Prisoner of Azkaban.
Favorite Character(s): Hermione Granger. That kid's great, sticking up for the House Elves and always looking out for her kiddos, Harry and Ron. *Fondly ruffles her hair, making it a bit bushier*
Wand: 12", Holly (*grins*) and Veela hair, springy, good for Charms.
Pet: (Pets, actually) Chyna the Talking Dog, Daria the Escape Artist Cat and Amy "Scratch Attack" Cat.
Hi kids! What's new? What's new with me is that school has started, which, of course, means that theatre has started! *Bursts into relieved tears* Oh-ho, I'm so freaking glad! *Sputters and sobs* Do you have any idea how much I've missed that class? To me, the word theatre is synonymous with the term complete and utter happiness. The good news is that Leah and Kyle (theatre just wouldn't be theatre without them), Nick, Shawna, Sudie and Monica (from 1st semester) have all returned! The bad news is that Don, the dude who gets my vote for Hottest Theatre Kid and everyone's vote for Most Likely to Win an Acadamy Award, has graduated. *Goes pale* I'm just sick about it. Plus, we lost a ton of other fun actors... like, 12. So that sucks. We haven't done a whole heck of a lot yet, but we did some pantomiming which consisted of the whole class losing their friends' dog, and ruining folks' hair colors. We also got to play my all-time favorite theatre game, Bus Stop, where you must get the person "waiting for the bus" out of their seat by doing some quick-thinking improv. I got a new guy, Justin, out of his seat by walking up and saying, "BEEP BEEP! I'm the bus, get in!" but then stealing his seat when he got up and exclaiming, "Ha ha! I'm not a bus, I'm just a person who wanted your seat!" Then Kyle decided to get me out of my seat by walking up to me and pretending to hump me. After about 5 seconds of this, I looked at my watch and asked him when the bus would arrive, but he pointed out that, has this happened in real life, I would have been long gone. I had to agree, and admitted defeat. *Hangs head*
I recently decided to re-read some of the Daria fan fiction I used to read obsessively a few years ago, and realized that I can't just abandon this awesome stuff just because I now read Harry Potter fan fic. That would just be wrong, as this stuff is great, and I'd forgotten just how great it is. I used to bloody love the show Daria, but it was the fan fic I was REALLY addicted to... specifically a cluster of Daria fan fiction written by a writing goddess who called herself Invisigoth Gypsy. The fics always managed to cheer me up and make my day a zillion times brighter, and I think you should all read her stuff if you ever get the chance. The whole series is focused around Daria and Trent, and how they were both too scared to admit they liked each other, so it was extremely cute, and it's one of my favorite sources of entertainment. Plus, there was no Tom (the boyfriend Daria eventually had)! Hurray for Trent and not for Tom. Now, move toward the link... that's it, closer... closer... The IVG Shipper Continuum

<3, Holly :-D

Of Best Friends and Baby-Sized Miracles

2003-08-18T14:18:00.000-04:00

I don't exactly remember the precise moment when I met my best friend, Sarah. In fact, the first year I knew her, we weren't close at all. We ate lunch together with a number of our old friends, most of whom I can't even name now, even though I'd known a few of them almost my whole life. When set Sarah apart from those other friends was that she really seemed to care what happened to me, as she proved over the next five years. When my dad made me get my teacher's signatures on my assignment sheet, Sarah made sure I got those signatures so I wouldn't get in trouble. When I was struggling with restless leg syndrome, she didn't freak out and keep the heck away from me, she stayed with me and kept my mind off it. When I was too sick to pay attention in driver's ed, she took notes for the both of us and kept me from failing. And if she didn't have enough money to buy me a birthday present, she made me beautiful pillows, which I love more than anything she could have bought... except, perhaps, for this bloody awesome theatre ring she got me for my open house. *Pats it and snaps picture*
I thought Sarah was so cool, I set her up with my brother, one of my other best friends. For 3 years, Zach and I hung out with Sarah all day, every day. I had a blast with them, despite their constant "make out then break up" ritual. When Sarah and Zach had the mother of all breakups, it looked like I was going to have to choose between them, and I was alternately devastated and hysterical for weeks. I loved them both way too much to pick a favorite. I decided I couldn't, and would never choose one of them over the other, though I'm ashamed to say I haven't made time to hang out with Sarah since I started college, and I've missed her so much.
A couple weeks ago, I went to Sarah's diary and saw that she had rather huge news-- she's pregnant! I had to read the entry four times before it really sunk in. My best friend is pregnant. This is huge! At first, I way too worried to be happy. I kept thinking, Is her dad angry? Is she okay with this? Matt had better stay with her and be good to she and the baby... But as I read the entry over and over, I realized everything will be okay. She and Matt are really excited and they're both working; they'll be able to get their own place soon! When I finally actually realized that my best pal was going to be a mom, I became really thrilled too. A new mini-miracle kid... this is going to be so awesome! My worries immediately turned to excited plans-- What gifts am I going to spoil this kid with? What decorations will we put up at the baby shower? I'd better start shopping for this kid now, only nine months to go...
Of course, I'm going to do everything I can for Sarah, Matt and the baby... after all, look at all the great things Sarah's done for me. *Raises bottle of root beer* To best friends and miracles!

In other news, my dad surprised me with the gift that keeps on giving... or at least, it keeps taking... taking pictures! He said it was a late open house present, so that's fun. And not only does this digital camera take pictures, it also takes minute-and-a-half-long videos! So my camera is super neat, as opposed to just plain neat. This means that there will be lots of pics and videos of Sarah's baby (uh... you know, when she has the baby) and you online folk will be able to see part of my next play! Oh, aren't you just in fits of rapture? *Grins cheekily*
<3,>

Annual Crap Hits the Fan Day

2003-07-19T14:15:00.000-04:00

Once or twice a year, a time comes along when my dad and I have to have a big fight about something. The most common Fighting Subjects are (A. my grades (B. anything school-related and (C. my grades. But this year, my grades weren't so bad, so the subject of the fight yesterday had to be the not so commonly fought about (D. money. For my open house last month, I got roughly $700. Now, a month later, I have about $80. Sure, I suppose I spent that a little fast, but I feel that I bought things I've been needing for quite a while with that money (hilarious fluffy pink steering wheel cover and adorable stuffed mermaid not included). Plus, that money was kind of mine to spend, right? Not the way Dad sees it. Apparently, I should have saved all my cash so I could pay for my own books when the school year starts in the fall. Of course, I could have done that, but seeing as Dad's always payed for my books, how would I have known to save my money to buy my own this year? So, a good part of yesterday evening was spent with Dad engaging in his yelling routine, and me in my habitual crying.
When that was done, Dad decided to interregate me about my brother, Zach, and his girlfriend, Christina, and what they do day and night. *Rolls eyes* The high points of this argument were when I pointed out that I'm not my brother's keeper, Dad insisted that I should know where they are and what they're doing at all times, and I talked Dad out of kicking Zach out of the house by suggesting that Dad make sure Christina has gone home before Dad goes to bed. The overall argument ended with Dad insisting that I get a job immediately to get back the money I blew. So, starting tomorrow, I'll be out job hunting, once again. *Throws a small, contained tantrum*
Last week, Dad, Zach, Christina and I all decided that next Tuesday, we should head over to Cedar Point. The reason for this is, Zach insists that he can't make it to Vegas this August, like we've been planning all year because Vegas Vacation time conflicts with Christina's Birthday time. Of course, I could still go to Vegas with Dad (he almost has to go because the Vegas trip this year happens to also be a business trip for him), and it would be just the two of us, but what am I going to do while Dad's in meetings? And what if he wants to do some gambling, as he always does? It's not exactly safe to wander around Las Vegas by myself, methinks. And so, I'm out of the Vegas trip I look forward to all year long. Hopefully, we'll still be able to do this Cedar Point thing Tuesday.
Okay, I believe I'm done whining for the moment. It's just making me more irritable, and I'm supposed to be an optimist, for God's sake! I think I'll fill out a nice, happy survey... one I'll steal from Ashley. *Nods decidedly*

What do you eat late at night?: Life cereal almost overflowing with Silk vanilla soy milk or peanut butter and jelly dunked in a mug of Silk vanilla soy milk. I'm a bit of an oddball, I suppose...
Your completely irrational fear?: Bugs. I have nightmares about them, I get uncontrollable shivers when I'm around them, I can't sleep in my bed if I've spotted one anywhere near the vacinity of my room. And it doesn't matter what kind of bug it is, I freaked out over a roley-poley that I spotted trying to roley-pole its scary arse underneath the couch today. I realize I could squash it, but I'd probably have a heart attack if I came within two feet of it.
What do you carry with you at all times?: Lemme check my purse... Okay, I always carry my wallet, sunglasses, cell phone, a mini-Kleenex package, dental floss, gum, my sparkly pink makeup bag, my sparkly pink mini-fan, and a picture of my mom and I.
What do you miss most about being little? Hanging out with just Zach all the time. I don't remember the time it was just me and him, but I really, really miss those days. We used to hang out in the back yard playing Calvin Ball (the game from Calvin and Hobbes) and then we'd come in and play Matchboxes on Atari and eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches dunked in milk. *Sighs in a reminiscent manner*

What was the last song you were listening to? "Family Tree" by Darryl Worley. Hee, I just love that song with the little kids laughing at the beginning and end and the whole thing about the "hand me down clothes... and hand me down shoes, we got the big bellied momma, here we go again blues." Adorable!
If I were a __, I'd be -
sin: Obsession... what with all the obsessing I do, you know.
scent: Pumpkin, since I'm always eating stuffed pumpkin shells... I'm bound to smell like a pumpkin!
body part: A stomach. Woo hoo, all the food comes straight to me!
Well! That brightened my mood up considerably! Hurray, hurray!
--Holly :-D

Hired and Fired

2003-06-30T14:13:00.000-04:00

Highlights of the past few weeks of Holly's life:

*My brief employment at Ziggy's Ice Cream
*Having my open house at church
*The purchase of the new Harry Potter book
*Attending Sarah's open house
*Grandma Z.'s 3-way bypass

*Glances nervously at date of last diary update* Holy guacamole, has it really been that long? Well, I s'pose I'd best get 'round to updating then, hadn't I? Let's see, where shall I begin? I guess I'll start with Ziggy's...
I'd been wanting to work at an ice cream place for quite a while, so when my aunt Barb got me an interview with a friend of hers who just happens to be the owner of Ziggy's Ice Cream, I jumped at the chance. I got the job immediately, and started working, but only for a couple of hours a day, while I was in training. I practiced swirling soft serve ice cream into cones (they all tilted unsteadily to the side), mixed up various kids of flurries (I always seemed to punch a hole in the bottom of the cup), and got zapped horribly on the blended fruit machine. Customers yelled at me, my co-workers snapped at me, and I went home crying more than once. I can't say that I wasn't surprised when my boss called me and told me I was just too slow for that kind of job. And so, I am, once again, unemployed. *Sigh*
Two Saturdays ago was my open house, which turned out peachily, thanks to my awesome mom and grandparents. We had lots of fun decorating the church with colorful Japenese lanterns, picture-laden poster boards, and Mom's beautiful giant paper flowers (I "entertained" my mom by continually singing "Paaaaaper flowers!", a lovely part of Evanescence's song, "Imaginary"). I created my only real decorative contribution: a concoction of pastel jelly beans in champagne glasses. *Beams proudly* I stole that idea from a magazine! *Nods happily* The open house that followed the decorating party was quite wonderful as well, as I played my Open House Mix CDs and greeted lots of folks, some of whom I never thought I'd see in the same room together *COUGHmyparentsCOUGH*.
In honor of the release of the new book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I purchased a new outfit, including a blue tank top that Harry and Hermione have been ironed onto. I sat up all night reading the last few chapters of the Goblet of Fire so the ending would be fresh in my mind the next day. As an open house present, Mom had reserved me a copy of the book, so at 7:30 the next morning, I drove my poor tired Mom to Target to get the book. When I spotted it on an end cap, I squealed and ran to the cash register where a Daria-type rang up my book, eyeing my Harry/Hermione shirt and huge grin with obvious distaste. The book was wonderful, although I admit to hysterical crying toward the end... and that's after peeking ahead!
My grandma Z. went into the hospital for a 3-way-bypass this past Friday. My dad, grandpa, aunt Barb, and cousin Lindsay were all with her right before she went into surgery, so I think that put her mind at ease about it, a bit. As soon as they'd wheeled Grandma away, Lindsay broke into sobs, just like she does every New Year's Eve when Grandma and Grandpa leave for their winter Florida trip. We stayed in the Family Waiting Area where a loud, huge, annoying family took up nearly the whole room before a nurse came in to tell us that Grandma was going to be okay. And she should be home tomorrow! Hoo-ray!
--Holly :-D

Fun With the Play and Reconstructing the House

2003-06-09T14:12:00.000-04:00

Oh... my... goodness. You've got to be bloddy kidding me! FOD WORKS AGAIN?! It's a freaking MIRACLE! Praise the LORD! Well... I wrote this entry in April (yes, April), and I s'pose I'll finally get to post it here! Here 'tis...
________________________________________________________

It was raining lightly as I lugged two blue cotton-encased pillows and my sequen-covered "Hollywood" tote bag into school. As I flip-flopped my way to the auditorium, nurses-in-training, gothic folk and various college professors looked at me like I'd grown a second head. My mom had thrown my hair up into a teased massacre that looked as though I had been on my way to the prom, but got caught in a tornado on the way. I was sporting my sparkly "DIVA" tank top with a bright orange button-down shirt draped over it, and peach-colored plaid capris covered my pale legs. My many accessories looked like they had been chosen by a a kindergartener who was playing dress-up, and didn't know how to match colors up yet. My theatre kiddos and I (some dressed in prom dresses, others in mideival wear, and the rest still in their every-day getups) gathered furniture from the teachers' lounge together for the set of Wanda's Visit. Lori's husband and kids, with the help of Don, Kyle and James, had built a "bed" onto the edge of the stage the previous day, so Lori now made the "bed" while Shaunna set the "table" and Leah decorated the coffee table with magazines.
Soon enough, we all crowded into the green room (uh...teachers' lounge) and it was time for everyone to get into costume and report to either Algie, Leah or me for stage makeup. This was a rather difficult task, as the guys tried to talk their way out of having their blush done, and most of the girls despised all forms of lipstick. It was very chaotic in the teachers' lounge due to the fact that Rachel, Steve and Kyle kept shouting their lines across the room to each other. Karen was frantic to find some hairpray to prevent the inevitable static cling her prom dress created when it came into contact with her panty hose. The mood drastically changed from hectic to peaceful at 7:45 as we all joined hands and stood in a circle while Lori gave us a pep talk. Kyle and Algie's hands felt sweaty, and I was relieved that they must have been as nervous as I was. Although the smell of hair products and lip gloss was strong in the air, I could make out Don's wonderfully tropical scent, and it was very comforting. It was very quiet when Kyle suddenly burst into "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", the song his crazy character sings in his play, "Funeral Parlor", and we all joined in singing, though no one knew all the words. It was all very lovely and emotional, like the candlelit service at church on Christmas Eve. *Tear*

Leah and Kyle being cute.

The cast of Actor's Nightmare (James, Don, Sudie, Jennifer, and Karen)
Before we knew it, it was 8:00, and I waited backstage while Shaunna and Nick started off our play, Wanda's Visit. Shaunna's lines had a breathy quality to them since she was trying hard to keep from hyperventalating, but it really went with her character. I wasn't nervous at all as Don played the sound of a doorbell, and I threw my arms around Nick and cried, "JIM! JIM! Oh, Jim, Jim, Jim!" The audience was packed, unlike last time, and they were awesome--they gasped and laughed in all the right places, and Zach laughed the loudest during the backrub scene when I exclaimed, "OH YES, IT'S POSITIVELY ORGASMIC!"

Everyone did a great job in all 6 plays, and Scene 6 was a total hit with the audience. Zach brought a gaggle of friends, both sets of my grandparents were there, as well as my dad, Mom and Mike, and even some people from last semester's theatre class! Monica, Jim & his wife were there, as well as Regina, her daughter and her brand new baby boy! I held him and marveled at how adorable his tiny hands and feet were. My grandparents Z. gave me a sweet card and $10, and so did my dad & Zach. My grandparents Shoup got me a gorgeous diamond necklace to match my ring! Then we all tried to go bowling, but the stupid thug at the bowling ally wouldn't let us bring our Tim Horton's inside, so I hugged all my theatre pals goodbye until next fall. *Is sad, yet happy*

My dad has completely made over his bedroom. It's a beautiful shade of light blue, and he ripped up his carpet to reveal a lovely hardwood floor. I re-organized the bookshelf yesterday, and 'tis extremely pretty, if I do say so myself. *Beams proudly* We still need to re-paint every room in the house, but we're going to do my room next! Hoo-ray! I was going to try for an under-water kind of theme, but I've since changed my mind, and have decided to create a Hollywood-theme. You know, my bedroom shall now be a glamorous dressing room, since I'm an actress and all.. *Takes a bow, though she's done nothing with it yet* Love you all!

4 Days Until Scene 6

2003-04-26T14:11:00.000-04:00

That's right, kids (um... kids who are over the age of 13), you should all come and see our cluster of plays, Scene 6 in the Mott Memorial auditorium on Wednesday, April 30. We've been working really hard on it, and almost everyone has their lines memorized. "Now all we have to do is have fun with it," is what Lori told us on Thursday... which is what I've been doing all along. I mean, come on, how can you not have fun with a script like this?
Wanda (me): (crying) And then my second husband gave me herpes! And every time the first one would call to threaten my life, it would trigger an outbreak! Herpes is often set off by emotional turmoil, you know.
Jim (Nick): Oh yes... I've... read that...
Wanda:And then I thought, to hell with men! Maybe I should become a lesbian! And I tried that, but I just wasn't attracted to women, so that didn't work out, did it?
Ah yes, fun will be had by all!
This past Wednesday, Nick brought his adorable doll of a 3-year-old daughter, Martiza, to class, since his wife is in the hospital. Algie held her on her lap in the auditorium while we put on Wanda's Visit. We have this scene toward the end of the play where we're at a restaurant and I start choking, so Nick tries to give me the heimlech maneuver, but fails miserably, so Shawna pushes him out of the way and gives me the heimlech the right way. But when Shawna pushed Nick, his daughter started crying! I didn't know what had happened, and I thought she was crying because she thought I was really choking, so I said, "Oh, sweetie, I'm okay! See?" Kyle laughed and said, "She's upset 'cause her dad got hurt! She doesn't care if you're choking!" Oh. It took quite a while for Nick to calm poor Martiza down, but when he did, we went back to the play, the part where Don and Kyle (playing a couple of thugs) drag me back stage while I scream, "AAAAAH, HELP ME, JIM! IT'S THE KINGPIN!" and guess what happened? Martiza giggled for about ten minutes at my expense. *Snorts* That kid...
Well... I would tell you all about how I can't get enough of staring at Don throughout his play, Actor's Nightmare, but I don't want to bore everyone. So instead, here's something even more boring! A SURVEY!
10 musical artists you can't live without
1. Lifehouse
2. Amy Grant
3. Michael W. Smith
4. Darren Hayes
5. "Weird Al" Yankovic
6. Avril Lavigne
7. Michelle Branch
8. Jennifer Love Hewitt
9. Shania Twain
10. Kelly Clarkson
9 movies you could watch forever
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Moulin Rouge
4. Orange County
5. Newsies
6. The Wedding Singer
7. Mr. Deeds
8. Loser
9. Anastasia
8 books to keep your mind, for lack of a better word, smart*
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Kissed by an Angel (The Power of Love) by Elizabeth Chandler
6. Kissed by an Angel (Soulmates) by Elizabeth Chandler
7. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (No, I'm not kidding!)
8. Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul Journal by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger.
7 dreamy boys/girls (whatever your preference)
1. Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky, General Hospital; Jesse, Tuck Everlasting)
2. Brian Gaskill (Rafe, Port Charles)
3. Don Morisette (George, Actor's Nightmare; Jesse Aaron, The Elvis Monolouges)
4. Nick Lachey (98 Degrees)
5. Jon Arbuckle (Garfield)
6. Nitz (Undergrads)
7. Trent Lane (Daria)
6 inanimate objects you couldn't live without
1. The computer
2. My Daria watch
3. My CDs
4. Vegetarian food
5. My pillow-top bed
6. The Harry Potter books
5 TV shows that aren't dumb
1. Daria
2. Clone High, USA
3. Undergrads
4. The Critic
5. The Simpsons

4 songs with meaning to you
1. "Ask Me"--Amy Grant
2. "Simon"--Lifehouse
3. "This is Your Time"--Michael W. Smith
4. "Have You Forgotten?"--Darryl Worley
3 articles of clothing you wear all the time
1. Jeans
2. Amy Grant concert tees
3. Las Vegas casino tees
2 best friends
1. Mom
2. Sarah
1 random fact about you 1. I broke my ankles last year while trying to catch my cat, Daria.

The Trouble With Wanda's Visit

2003-04-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

1. Current Clothes: Black tank top that says "DIVA" in glittering letters with an orange button-down shirt over it, jeans, pink & red "X O X O" toe socks and flip-flops. It's my Wanda wear, except I'll have some bright pink capris instead of my jeans for the play...
2. Current Mood: Worried and annoyingly forgetful.
3. Current Music: "If You're Not the One"--Daniel Bedinfield. *Sighs wistfully* These are some good lyrics.
4. Current Taste: Grapes.
5. Current Hair: All ratted up and thrown up into a glittery, dissarayed mess. It's the Wanda do.
6. Current Smell: Cancun perfume.
7. Current thing I ought to be doing: Going over my lines repeatedly until there's no possible chance they can get out of my head.
8. Current Desktop Picture: A homemade mass of Harry/Hermione pictures.
9. Current CD in CD Player: "Holly's Car Tunes."
10. Current dvd in dvd player: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
11. Current Color Of Toenails: Irridescent blue & purple.
12. Current Refreshment: Vanilla soy milk.
13. Current Worry: *Through gritted teeth* Must get lines memorized... but... can't. *Seethes*

I can't believe this. I went through my play, Wanda's Visit, approximately 5 million times before I went to theatre tonight. When I got there, I watched the incredibly hilarious play that Don stars in, Actor's Nightmare. In the play, Don's character, George, is an accountant who mistakenly wanders onto the set of four different plays, and all the actors think he's the main character of every play. He, of course, doesn't know any lines, but he has to make them up throughout all four plays while the other actors get more and more impatient with him, the poor guy. When everyone finished with Actor's Nightmare, it was time for Wanda's Visit. Nick, Shawna and I got on stage and started going through the play... but I kept either forgetting my lines, or getting them all mixed up. And it didn't help that Lori stopped me every two seconds to inform me that I wasn't hanging all over Nick nearly enough. I called "Line!" so many times that I felt like Don's character. *Groans in frustration*
I wished Leah were there. She wasn't there yesterday either, so Kyle called Leah on her cell. Kyle told us exactly how the conversation went:
Kyle: Leah, where are you?
Leah: (raspy-voiced) ...Who the hell is this?
Kyle: (sarcastic) I'm your stalker, geez. It's Kyle! Jason's freaking out because you're the only other person in his play, so he has nothing to do but complain.
Leah: I have bronchitis! Tell Jason to stop being so gay and blow one!
Kyle: I'll tell him your exact words.
Leah: Good!
Even when she's sick, she's hilariously honest! Oh, that Leah... I know she couldn't be, but I really wished she were there. I always do good when Leah's there because she cheers me on and gives me confidence. *Sigh* Hopefully, she'll be better by next week. It's a lot funnier when she's offensive to Jason's face.

I know everyone's sick of hearing about the fan fiction *cough* SMUT *cough* I read, but... you've just got to see this one! In T.G.I.F. by babygrrl, Harry's got a date at a nightclub with Chrissy, a young, giggly witch with extremely big... eyes. But would he rather go home with Chrissy, or that liberated witch in the hot red dress? Guess who that might be? Hermione? Dun dun dun! This story is hot. babygrrl should get paid millions of Galleons every time she does one of these little masterpieces. *Nods fervently*
Yesterday, I was at the Olive Garden with Mom and her friend, Julie. We had a lovely dinner, but when I got to my car, I couldn't find my keys anywhere. Mom and Julie had already driven off, so I went back inside to search for my keys in the restaurant. They weren't there. I tried to call my mom, but the volume on her cell phone was turned all the way down. Finally, she called my cell and asked where the heck I was. She came back to get me and take me to theatre, and that's when she noticed my keys in the ignition of my car... but the car was locked. *Rolls eyes* I couldn't believe it. So at 10 P.M., when theatre got out, Zach came into class with an extra pair of keys and three friends. Lori was all mad that I had all those extra people there, distracting the actors, but what could I do? I feel so irresponsible this week. *Sighs*
Love you kids!
--Holly 8-X

I'm Over Here, Under This Pile of Fan Fiction

2003-04-11T14:09:00.000-04:00

Um... yeah, I've been neglecting my diary for way too long, folks. I mean, sure, it deserved it, after treating me the way it's been, not letting me post or leave notes. But I don't know how long it's been working... or even if it is now... *crosses fingers and knocks on wood, waking up everyone in the household* The good people over at portkey.org & restrictedsecion.org (grr baby, very grr!) have been keeping me in constant supply of unbelievably brilliant fan fic. I seem to be addicted to Harry/Hermione smut. Oh, but who could read The Red Dress by Libbie without saying something along the lines of "Absolutely!" and reading it repeatedly?

So, I have been licensed to wreak havoc on the pot-hole-filled streets of Michigan for almost two weeks now! My dad kind of forced me to take my freaking driving test before my family members/chauffeurs all teamed up to beat the crap out of me. I was a tad nervous during my driver's test, and I think I screwed up on something about 5 times due to my anxiety, but I guess the Test-Givin' Chick took pity on me & passed me anyway. *Holds up license proudly, grinning* I look like my face is coated in grease in this picture! *Continues nodding & smiling greasefully* My car is all Holly-ed out. It has Powerpuff Girls floormats (courtesy of Zach), a Ralph Wiggum antenna topper (courtesy of Zach), a rockin', arse-kickin' CD player (courtesy of Dad), and a few layers of dog hair on the seats (courtesy of Chyna).
Theatre has been hecticly hilarious, as has always been the case with the class that I adore way more than any class should be adored. Jason the Hawaiian shirt-wearing weirdo has gotten himself a girlfriend, Leah & Kyle still have crushes on each other and don't know it, Don continues to hold his title of Hottest, Sweetest, Most Talented Guy With a Girlfriend Holly Has Ever Met, and Nick, Shawna & I are trying our darndest to get our freaking lines memorized.

Monica and Larry putting stage makeup on Don... as if he isn't hot enough already
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is out on DVD today, and I've so totally had fun pausing it on the Harry/Hermione hand-caressing in the Hospital Wing scene!

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE? Built onto the side of one of my favorite Las Vegas casinos like the Mirage, the Rio, or the Luxor. Or hey, maybe the Excalibur so I could feel like I was living at Hogwarts!
2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? My orange Lucy and Snoopy--"Happiness is a Warm Puppy" T-shirt. *Hugs own doggie, Chyna* It's so true!
3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? Eyes... although lips are a close second.
4. WHAT'S THE LAST CD/DVD THAT YOU BOUGHT? Chicago soundtrack/Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
5. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? Shopping in Vegas and taking a spin on all my favorite rides at Disney World (the teacups & the Kali Rapids), Universal Studios and Cedar Point.
6. WHERE'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? My old high schools.
7. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED? Shoulders and neck, aw yeah!
8. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG MIND OR STRONG BODY? Strong mind, o' course... but the latter probably couldn't hurt.
9. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING? Think, "It's only morning? Okay, I'm going back to sleep." *Insert loud snores here*
10. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? The 'fridge, all the way!
11. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY? Animal cruety, because my furry friends (and reptilian) can't speak up for themselves.
12. IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? That living bass guitar from my favorite Harry Potter fan fiction, "Blush" by Granger.
13. FAVORITE COLORS? Tickle Me Pink and Jungle Green.
14. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? How 'bout an adorable little VW Bug, eh?
15. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? Indeed. There'll be lots of decorative sugar cookies, fluffy blankets and neat shoes. *Nods wistfully*
16. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by the talented Joanne Kathleen Rowling, even though it doesn't really seem like a children's book to me. So, that being said, I'm extrememly fond of The Lorax by good ol' Dr. Suess.
17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?Winter.
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE HOUSEHOLD CHORE? Vacuuming.
19. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? The ability to Apparate. You know, be in one place, and then suddenly be in another. That'd be swell as all getout.
20. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT? I don't, but I do have this scar that's shaped like a division sign on my neck. *Points* See? It gives the impression that I like math, though, so that's not fun.
21. CAN YOU JUGGLE? I highly doubt it. *Attempts to juggle with the phone, a waterbottle and a library book on Abraham Lincoln, resulting in a broken phone* Nope, I can't.
22. WHO IS THE ONE PERSON YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND TALK TO? Jesus. That's be neat-o.
23. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY? Why, it's Christmas Day!
24. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR? I... don't know, I'll have to check that out later.
25. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? Neither, thanks, I'm a veggie kid. Well, actually, I'm a starch kid.
Holly :-D

Gasp A Serious Entry? From Holly?!

2003-03-24T14:08:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! Is FOD actually going to let me post this? That would really be somethin', wouldn't it? I wrote bunches of entries and saved them all in Wordpad while FOD was being mean and not allowing me to post. *Grumbles* I might post those entires later, but right now I'd like to say what I think about the War on Terrorism. Over the past few days, I've been repeatedly shocked to hear some people say that they don't think much of George W. Bush, and that they think we (U.S.A.) are just being bullies for no reason. Well, I don't understand those folks' reasoning. I don't like war either, but I'm afraid it's necessary right now. My mom introduced me to a song by Darryl Worley, and I wholeheartedly agree with the lyrics, so I thought I'd post them here.
Have You Forgotten?
By Darryl Worley
I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there're some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep them by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this, my friend
Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside, going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger, that's what experts say
If it was up to me, I'd show it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11, man, I'd have to say that's right
Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have your forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside, going through a living hell
And we vowed to get the ones behind Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
I've been there with the soldiers who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fighting for
Have you forgotten
All the people killed
Yes, some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Remember to keep our soldiers in your prayers. *Hugs for everyone*

--Holly

A Day in the Life of Little Holly

2003-03-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

I know I've written in here before about my School Days book that consists of surveys that I filled out from age 4-18, but I thought I'd share more of the contents of that book with you neat-o FOD kids!
Pre-School Days

What I like least about going to school is: Leaving my mom and toys behind & getting up.
What I like most about going to school is: Seeing my teacher & friends.
When I grow up, I would like to be: A teacher.
On Halloween, I dressed up as: Peter Pan at school, for trick or treating & a party at home. I was a ballerina dinosaur when I went to Crossroads Villiage.
On my birthday: I had a Little Mermaid/unicorn party, cakes & a flower pinata. The Tooth Fairy came: 2 times And I got: My Little Ponies & money!
Pets I had or wished I had: I wish I had a white kitten with a pink ribbon! Zach and I had fish for a while this year.
Things I like to do with my mom are: Bake, sew, read & shop.
Things I like to do with my dad are: Swim, ride bikes & play Frisbee.
At school, I learned: To write, sing songs, make a sachet for my mom & my numbers and letters.
These are a few of my favorite things...
Toys: Ribbons, ponies & rats.
TV show Full House, Alvin & the Chipmunks and Muppet Babies.
Ice cream: Superman and vanilla.
Game: Super Mario Bros.
Cookie: Chocolate chip.
Dolls: The Little Mermaid & P.J. Sparkles.
Movie:The Little Mermaid.
Restaurant: Chuck E. Cheese.

Monday was full of hilariousness. Bobby brought his game, Taboo over, and Zach, Tracey and I spent a good portion of the night playing it. The object of the game is to try and get your team mate to guess a word. I was on Bobby's team & he kept coming up with all these crazy-arsed descriptions of the words. When he was trying to get me to say the word "tea", his description was, "You know, it's that stuff inside the thing... with the thing hanging out of it, you know?" *Snorts* Then he would get frustrated because I just laughed at his descriptions, and hardly guessed any of the words. It was very humorous, although not nearly as humorous as when Zach got his hair highlighted last night. I actually think the change looks really sweet, but it was funny as all getout watching him suffer through the highlighting process.
My mom is such a neat kiddo. She and I headed over to Target to purchase birthday presents for me so she can give them to me at my party with her side of the family this Saturday. I picked out my own presents at my request, so on Saturday, I know I'll be receiving the following things: 2 blank shirts to iron computer transfers onto, the awesome board game Mad Gab, a wonferfully cushy & plush stuffed fish, and some fish-print toe socks. Plus she got me some surprises! *Hugs and pie and things for Mom*
Yesterday, a big chunk of us (Mom, Mike, Grandma, Grandpa, Zach, Tracey, and I) all went to see Chicago. Wow. All those folks weren't kidding when they said it's the best thing since sliced bread! I tell ya what, I cracked up when all those chicks sang about how they "didn't kill" their husbands. "And then he ran into my knife... 10 times!" *Falls out of chair laughing*
--Holly :-D

Try Pie, Try

2003-03-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

'Ey folks! I-- *pauses to cough, hack and blow nose* --I've had a cold for the last four days... which means, I had the cold Friday, on my birthday. Ugh. Somehow, though, I still managed to have a decent B-day. Zach made me a hilarious birthday card that only cool people would get, seeing as only uncool people don't watch the internet cartoon, Weebl and Bob *Nods enthusiastically, pointing at link*

Oh yes, and Z also got me some Powerpuff Girls floormats for my car! Eeeee! *Momentarily contains glee in tupperware bowl* After I recieved my gift from Z-bear, he, Tracey and I went to meet Dad at Ruggero's for my Birthday Pizza Special and some sort of delectable cookie die pie. *Drools* Mmmm, pie...
Tracey got me a book that I immediately became addicted to called If Only It Were True by Marc Levy. It's about Lauren, a girl who's been in an irreversable coma for six months, yet the "ghost" of her (even though she's not dead) can hang out at her old appartment with the guy who lives there now. Arthur, the dude who lives there, is the only person who can hear, see and feel Lauren. He falls in love with this "ghost" of a girl whom he's never really met, but he's got to talk her doctors and mother out of taking Lauren off life support, or the "ghost" Lauren he's in love with can no longer be with him. *Sniffs, not from the cold* It's awesome, everyone must read it immediately!
Guess what else I found to read? This series of amazingly hilarious, sweet, tear-jerker, edge-of-your-computer-seat Harry/Hermione fics! They're called The Hermione Stories by Mena Baines, and I highly reccomend them to everyone! Oooh, especially "Hermione and the Muggles"... but you do have to read the whole series!
Oh dude, I forgot to mention, my dad gave me a bunch of candy and a card saying he's going to take me to pick out my car stereo as soon as I get my license! Woo hoo! Anyway, Saturday, Zach, Dad and I went to the Olive Garden with my Aunt Barb, Unlce Don, cousin Lindsay and Lindsay's boyfriend, Trevor. The evening started out very grumpily, as it was a freezing day, the Olive Garden was packed so full that we had an hour wait ahead of us, and my cousin, Jenny, was on a ski trip with her boyfriend. However, once everyone had eaten and Dad, Zach and Trevor had told plenty of dirty jokes, the evening turned out to be a lot of fun. I ordered some tirimisu, and everyone thought I was an attention hog, since I told the waitress it was my birthday. The waitress yelled, "HEY, EVERYBODY! IT'S HOLLY'S 19TH BIRTHDAY! LET'S ALL SING TO HER!" and then the entire restaurant sang to me! I thought it was jolly good fun, but my family just looked at me like an alien had recently crawled out of my stomach. *Shrugs* Oh well.
Say, guess what? In theatre practice Wednesday, Lori informed us that we'll be doing 4 small plays for our performance this semester! In my play, Wanda's Visit, I play Wana, a derranged yet hilarious nutcase who's a little too vocal about her genital herpes, and Nick & Shawna play Jim & Marsha, the poor couple with whom Wanda will be staying with. *Grins and gives a thumbs-up*
--Holly :-D

Ask Holly

2003-02-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

*Looks up from delightful new book* Oh, hello! Guess what I did yesterday? I went to Border's with Zach and Tracey, intending to buy a book that did not have "Harry Potter" in the title. I failed this task miserably, as I immediately spotted a book that's roughly the size of Hogwarts, a History called, Wizarding World Press' Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter (Analysis of Books 1-4) by Galadriel Waters and assisted by Professor Astre Withrandir. I'm sure I looked like a dork, gasping and doing a double-take of the book, then picking it up and exclaiming happily over it to Zach, but I didn't care. I bought the book with my birthday check from the grandparents Z., and started reading it the second I got home. It's awesome! These folks completely analyze every last aspect of the 4 HP books, and they even predict what will happen in the 5th book! It's wonderful, and I highly reccomend it to all you other "HP Sleuths" (as the books calls us) out there!

*Beams, admiring new car decoration* Anyway, I wrote this entry yesterday, then somehow deleted it, and so I'm going to give it another try. I seem to get asked the same 3 questions very often, so I thought I'd answer them here, on my diary. *Cracks knuckles in preparation* Here we go...
1. Say, Holly, why do you love Harry Potter so freaking much? Well kids, J.K. Rowling is, without a doubt, the best writer of her time, and I don't think anyone could so much as skim through her books without becomming completely immersed in them. The exciting and, more often than not, dangerous escapades of Harry and his friends, Hermione and Ron, are so awe-inspiring that I pity the fool who doesn't love the Harry Potter books.
2. How come you're a vegetarian? When I was 7 years old, my mom became a vegetarian because she's very health-conscious, plus she was becomming aware of the horrible abuse animals are put through before they're put to death and molded into sausage patties. When I learned what was going on in those slaughter houses, I proclaimed that I could no longer eat anything that once had a face, either. However, I haven't been very good about the health thing... I still eat a ridiculous amount of carbs.
3. O...kay, why is it that most of the TV shows and movies you watch are animated? I mean, aren't cartoons for kids? Nope! In fact, cartoons such as Daria, The Simpsons, Clone High and all the shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim are intended for adults. But that doesn't mean I don't like cartoons like The Little Mermaid, Anastasia and The Prince of Egypt too. *Shrugs* They're good, clean fun, and I don't know why some folks seem to think that those movies are childish.
Allllllrighty, time to get back to my new book! *Hugs for all*
--Holly :-D
P.S. Woo hoo, FOD is working right again!

Madlib Charades

2003-02-20T13:54:00.000-05:00

5 good things to touch

1. My kitties' fur. Daria's fur is all punked up and soft, and Amy's is puffy and fluffy. *Hugs fur babies*

2. My dog, Chyna's fur. It's not nearly as soft as kitty fur, but the fact that Chyna appreciates being pet much more than Daria and Amy do, I love petting her.

3. My computer keyboard. Clicking away on these keys makes most of my stress go away.

4. Those nifty watersnakes you can buy at joke shops and the Rainforest Cafe. Hee, you never know when it's going to slip out of your hands! Fun, fun, fun.

5. Play-Dough. Is there anything more fun to touch than that?

Five things you'd buy with $1,000

1. Perfume that I am not allergic to. *Glares at Cancun perfume*

2. A nice, working stereo for my mom.

3. A treadmill. This whole "do stupid dance moves I learned when I was still in dance class" workout routine I've recently picked up is not nearly as fun as walking on a treadmill.

4. Lots of Peta merchandise for both Mom and myself.

5. A professional painter person to paint my room in blue and green tones for me.

5 things you've owned over the past ten years

1. Jodie, my luffly blue and purple teddy bear.

2. All of the very talented Miss Amy Grant's CDs.

3. A ventriliquist dummy that I quickly began to fear, before handing it over to the folks at Goodwill.

4. The Sims... and numerous Sims expansion packs.

5. My AIDS awareness bracelet.

5 Cravings

1. Olive Garden breadsticks and angel hair with marinara (not to mention their awesome peach iced tea.

2. To be able to hang out with Zach, Sarah and Bobby like I used to do every single weekend.

3. A trip to Vegas--and Disney World and Cedar Point, while we're at it--with all my theatre kiddos, friends from elsewhere, and family members!

4. To have some puppies and/or kitties here at Dad's house.

5. Lots of money so I could give it to my mom, and then perhaps she wouldn't have to work anymore.

5 current songs

1. "Avenue of the Stars"--Jennifer Love Hewitt

2. "I'm Still Here"--Johnny Rzeznik

3. "Free"--Faith Hill

4. "What a Way to Wanna Be"--Shania Twain

5. "How Long"--Lifehouse

5 Current Thoughts

1. My birthday is so totally happening in 8 days!*Throws confetti everywhere*

2. Wow... I hope to one day find a guy as good as Don.

3. Cramps are 0 fun.

4. I just joined "Kindred Spirits", the best dang Harry/Hermione fan site anywhere!

5. I've got to get started on my research paper for English (on the historical figures that the Clone High characters are clones of). This is going to be sooper fun!

5 Most Wanted Items

1. Pretty new aqua-colored sources of light for my room @ Dad's.

2. A good part in the upcoming play.

3. Some iron-on transfers so I can make numerous Harry Potter shirts & hoodies.

4. The Anastasia DVD.

5. $5,000,000,000 to give to Mom.

Hi kids! How are things? Things are going just swimmingly for me, thank you... if you ignore the fact that for the past few days, I've had a sty on the inside of my freaking eyelid! Can you saw, "YEEEEEE-OUUUUUUCH"? But I'm better now...

Theatre is still the proud owner of my Best Class Ever award. The antics of my nutty fellow classmates this past Wednesday were over-the-top hilarious! *Chortles* We played a wonferfully creative version of Charades that can only be compared to Mad Libs. One member of the class would go outside the auditorium while those of us still inside thought up a noun, an adjective and a verb. Our first Charades character was played by Jason, who portrayed a "Gay, Romping Squirrel"... which wasn't too much of a stretch for him. *Snorts* Then the person who'd waited outside would have to guess what the heck Jason was doing. *Puts Hollarious Stamp of Approval on theatre kids' foreheads.

--Holly :-D

Fun With Talking Inanimate Objects

2003-02-14T13:44:00.000-05:00

Goodmorrow, kind sirs and gentle ladies! 'Tis Valentine's Day, and I've nothing better to do than sit on the computer and read Harry/Hermione fan fiction. Although I feel a little like those Star Wars nerds, I must admit that I've thoroughly enjoyed my fan fic-packed day. Just look at this exerpt from MsScribe's "Hush":
"Harry awakens to the sound of something jumping around on the floor. Thud... bonk. "Crookshanks?" he whispers, sitting up to look for the cat he and Ron had adopted ever since Hermione's disappearance. She needs me, don't you understand? There is no time for sleep. I can't imagine what she's doing without me-- Something clinks, and then scuffs up against his bedpost. He reaches for his glasses, blinking twice as he sees Hogwarts, a History, the book he had asked the Grangers if he could keep. It wiggles and falls flat again. We need to go to her. I've waited so long-- "Do you know where Hermione is?" Then the book trembles and its pages open to the section on the forbidden forest. She has been collected.
Muahahahahaha! Oh, do I love this stuff! See, the deal is that this "Collector" guy (well, "Collector" thing) has added Hermione to his collection at his house in the Forbidden Forest. He took her voice away, but now she can have conversations with inanimate objects without moving her lips. Everything can suddenly talk... except for her! *Evil laughter continues, but is cut off when the computer monitor clears its throat pointedly* I'm such a dork.

Mom made some Valentine's brownies for me to take to theatre Wednesday like the sweetheart she is, and everyone enjoyed them muchly... especially Leah, who spent most of the night eating the majority of them. *Grins* You'd never know a girl with a waist that tiny would have such a huge appetite! Of course, she's usually seen with plenty of Metabolife. The class was a blast, as usual. Don and Karen were hilarious as they played a married couple fighting over Don's winning lottery ticket, Shawna and Jennifer was hysterical when they played sisters bickering about whose waistline was smaller, Nick and Jason were awesome as roomates fighting over the volume of Jason's stereo while Nick was trying to watch The Cosby Show, and Leah and Kyle were highly amusing when Kyle came back from vacation to discover that Leah had let all his prized tropical fish die. However, it was awfully sad to find out that Larry could no longer afford theatre practice, and had to drop the class. *Cries and curses Farmer Jack for not paying him enough*
GUESS WHAT, FOLKS? Zach and I worked very hard for 3 days to put together the new song that's on the main page of my diary, called "Holly's Variety-licious Mix"! So, if you have some time, please listen to the song! *Hugs*
--Holly :-D

Evil, Threat-Bearing Valentine Cookies

2003-02-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

I had such an awesome night in theatre practice Wednesday! First, we went around the circle we always start the class in, and talked about what had happened in our week. I swear, theatre people have the coolest lives! Wednesday, I found out that James and Frankie are practically famous! Those two have actually been in movies. I had to ask them, "What are you doing in Flint, MI at Mott Community College's theatre class?" Turns out, their families are here. *Shrugs* So that's sweet!
When Kyle clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Let's get ready to pantomime!" Lori pleasantly surprised us all by announcing that we'd actually be doing improv. I was thrilled to find out that we were even doing my favorite kind of improv, which can be compared to (or even called a rip-off of) Whose Line is It Anyway?.
During improv, everybody came up with some really great stuff. Kyle played a plastic surgeon who accidentally gave Shawna breast implants, Ivory and I decided to polka for beer (even though I don't drink), Kim O.D.ed on drugs while being Don's cab driver to the movie made up of previews he was seeing with James and Steve, then Shawna confessed in a whisper, from the floor, that she sees dead people.
Toward the end of the class, my partner, Frankie had to leave, as did Rachael's partner, April, so us two kids hung out. As Rachael examined the pictures on my notebook, she voiced the fact that she also feels Daria is best thing to ever happen to television viewers. It was also quite a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) to find out that Rachael is a non-smoker! Don't get me wrong, I think Leah, Kyle and Larry are some of the spiffiest kids on the block, but smokers like them and asthmatics like myself don't always mix. Personally, the only thing I might light with fire and inhale is a scented candle, not a cigarette. So I find that Rachael's definitely a near chickeroo.
This week's essay topic for English was… *echo effect* DESCRIBE SOMEONE YOU KNOW… *end echo effect*. My essay was a very sappily descriptive tribute to my mom and best buddy, Wendy G. Killbreath, called "Living With an Angel." My teacher had us get together in groups of four and beta-read each other's papers. I was in a group with two kids I went to high school with and one with which I didn't. Terrence and Trish told me they were shocked at how extroverted I seem to be when, at Carman-Ainsworth, I was the shyest kid they knew. They said they could definitely tell I'm all about theatre now. Ooh, and they also mentioned that they very much like my paper and they, too, think my mom sounds marvelously angelic! *Proudly holds up essay*
Yesterday, I went to the Grandparents' house with Mom, Mike, Zach and our luffly dog, Chyna, to make Valentine cookies for Mom's work friends. Well… actually, Grandpa, Zach and Mike all sat in the living room and watched The Best of Adam Sandler while Grandma, Mom and I made the cookies. I happily sat at the table, making an intricate icing drawing on the first cookie that was passed to me. Everyone was thrilled with my yummy-looking masterpiece, and I was very pleased with my work. But then Grandma took another batch of heart-shaped dough out of the oven, and I realized we had about 5,608 more cookies to decorate. From that point on, the Holly-painted cookies looked a lot more like glittery sprinkles thrown onto frosting than edible works of art. After a while, Zach came out to the kitchen to see how the cookies were coming (in other words, to see if he could eat any) and decided he would "help" us decorate the cookies. Seeing that Mom's cookies had love messages on them, Zach decided to make some that said such things as "DIE", "I HATE YOU", and "THIS WAS ON THE FLOOR". He got about four of them done before Mom noticed and scraped the frosting off. *Thumbs up*

Honk If Your Keyboard Has a Horn

2003-02-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

*Honks keyboad, giggling like mad* ALRIGHT! Everything's comin' out Holly! Dude, Zach got a Dell, so he's never going to bug me about how I'm hogging the computer in the living room again, I'm passing all of my classes with flying colors, my birthday's coming up on Feb. 28th, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be out in June, and I have plenty of hilarious internet bumper stickers to amuse me until then!

Theatre practice was wildly amusing to me this past Wednesday, as is usually the case. We had to do pantomiming with a partner. My partner, April, and I sucked at this, but some people were hilarious! Don, who never fails to crack me up (and swoon while we're on the subject of him), "posed nude" while his parner, Shawna "painted" him, Kyle and Jennifer "performed" open-heart surgery on a conscious patient, and Leah "killed" her poor "husband", Steve. Our next project was to interview a partner (mine was Frankie) and then act out the surveys we gave each other for the class. For my survey, I played a hooker who was being interrogated by a cop (Frankie). When he asked me, "Where would you most like to go in the world?" I replied, in a Brooklyn accent, "Besides a cheap motel with you, sweet cheeks? Vegas, baby!" It was bloody brilliant fun.
I finally got my arse around to taking the written potion of my driving test last week, and I passed! So I shall be taking the driving potion of that test in 30 days, and then I'm going to see if I can talk my dad into letting me paint my car pink, although I highly doubt this will happen. I was watching this little 5 minute special on MTV a while ago, and the guy hosting the show kindly gave me the instructions on how to create my own seat-covers for my car. I shall print out some iron-on transfer Harry Potter pics, iron those suckahs onto pillow cases, then place the pillow cases over the seats in my car. Then the Harry Potter mobile shall be born at last! Muahahahaha!
*Evil laughter dies down* Speaking of MTV, they sure do have a gnarley new cartoon, don't they? They've got this show, Clone High, where these teenage clones of famous historical figures attend a high school aptly named Clone High. The main character is Abe Lincoln, whose best friends are Joan of Arc and Ghandi, who proudly proclaims, "Hey, man, Ghandi's anti-violence, not anti-comedy." I like him. He's silly. Abe is into Cleopatra, but she's usually going out with JFK. Little does Abe know, his pal, Joan is into him. *Evil laughter proceeds* 'Tis a wonderful show, and I highly reccomend it to all you other couch potato kids out there! *Thumbs up*

Boy, does my room ever look like crap. But don't worry, it won't for long! You see, my room is going to be undergoing some major construction over the next few days--*mumbles* or weeks, and I'm going to do a luffly under-the-sea theme. Indeed, I shall have to ask the good folks at Home Depot how I can blend sea green and blue together to make it appear as though my room is underwater, but I'm sure it'll be fun once I figure it out. Hoo-ray! Oh hey, guess what I did last week? I went to Hicks portrait studio so that a series of photos could be taken of me. It's a good thing I did this since the last professional picture taken of me was probably done in like... 9th grade. So, till next time, good fight and goodnight!
--Holly :-D

The Case of the Overflowing Theatre Class

2003-01-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Hey, folks! Good Lord in Heaven, do I ever miss you FOD folks! I don't know what the deal was with FOD being down for so long. Then, when FOD finally worked again, my dad was always around, so I couldn't get on the computer! This whole being grounded from the computer business is nothing short of hellish! I miss you kids, I miss my Sims and I miss the fan fiction versions of my favorite Harry Potter characters! *Throws a temper tantrum for five minutes before realizing she is now on the computer and there's nothing to complain about*

Over the past week, I attended all of my classes for this brand-spankin' new semester, and I must say they're downright smashing! My computers class is so easy, it's boring. The teacher's like, "This is called a mouse!" It's just sad. But at least it'll be an easy A! Although my English Composition class is three hours long, it's still fine and dandy like sour candy, as we get to write all sorts of lovely stories! And there's nothing I enjoy more than making up stories... just ask my dad! Heh... bada-bing! *Clears throat* Anyhoo, we partnered up in English on Monday, and my partner was an Arab girl named Robob who just moved here from Cairo, Egypt and didn't speak much English. But she was very friendly, nevertheless! In that class, I also met a new pal named Waylan, a really enthusiastic 39-year-old dood who sings Gospel music and seems really excited about every aspect of life. I swear, that guy's got the most contagious smile! He's lotsa fun. *Hugs for Waylan*

My Tuesday/Thursday math class is also 3 hours, and it definitely seems like it. *Yawns to get point across* However, I plan to make the most of the class, and am determined to get an A. *Excitedly holds up helpful calculator/secret weapon that does fractions and things* Wednesday night was theatre practice, and I was sooper thrilled that most of my old theatre pals have returned for theatre practice level 2. Leah, Kyle, Don, Larry, Jason and Nick are all back, but Morgain, Regina, Chris, Pat and Monica are no longer theatre folks. Apparently, Morgain and Larry had a very angry breakup, and they now very much dislike each other. *Cries*

We were all surprised beyond belief when it turned out that we have like, 25 people in theatre this semester! Our new people include a hilarious middle-aged guy named Steve who has MS, and is in a motorized wheelchair and a beautiful and happily engaged 19-year-old named Karen who is a missionary-in-training. Those two really stick out in my mind, but we have a bunch more people besides them like Rachael, Jenna, Frankie, Algie, Sudie, Ivory, Kim and a lot more folks whose names I don't remember. This time, we're going to have a much bigger play! Leah, Kyle and I are all determined to do Clue. *Nods decidedly*

--Holly :-D

SuperHoll Sunday

2003-01-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

Hey kids! I've heard this day referred to as Superbowl Sunday by many people, but I like to think of it as Holly Gets on the Computer For 4 Hours Because She's Ungrounded From it Since She's Pulling a Hermione This Semester and is Doing Very Well in Her Classes Day. It has a nice ring to it, but I think folks will still call today Superbowl Sunday, as the name of my day might be too hard to remember for some. I have something against football (and all sports that are not Quidditch), and so I'm spending today online while my dad is at Mario's. Mario's is my dad's favorite restaurant because he knows all the waitresses and customers there. It's almost like Dad has moved into Mario's, seeing as he's been there for like, 7 hours a day for the past week. *Shrugs* But he always seems to be in a good mood now! *Bows to folks at Mario's & gives them Harry Potter fan art for putting Dad into happy-mode for me*
Dr. Veliz (she's the best doctor in the entire world for those of you who haven't heard) has ordered my mom to take two weeks off of work because she's fatigued, and is getting so stressed out that her Lupus has flared up and she's been really sick. Dr. Veliz, my grandparents, Zach and I have all advised Mom to just lie back now and let Mike take care of all the money problems he caused. That's right! We're forcing him into employment! He's going to be making a magazine for the county, and we shall all poke him with pointy sticks and things until he makes some money. Speaking of Mike, last night, he decided to dazzle us all with his brilliance by informing us that "sh*t" and "f*ck" are not swear words. *Blinks* I think I got dumber just being in the room while he was talking about this/offending my grandparents. *Pokes him with stick*
Dood, I'm afraid of my math teacher. He'll do a problem on the board, then he'll just turn and stare at me for like, 10 seconds before going onto the next problem. *Cowers* I don't know why he does that and I'm freaked out! *Sobs* Moving onto a much more amusing topic, we had to partner up with someonewe didn't know very well in theatre this week, and interview them. My partner was this guy, Frankie, who told me he enjoys swing dancing, makin' love to his girlfriend in his dance studio and smoking weed. We have a drug addict in our innocent little theatre class! *Shakes head* It's a shame, but perhaps we'll be able to talk him out of being a druggie by the semester's end. Oh hey, and onto another subject! I finally got to exchange Christmas gifts w/ Sarah and Samantha! Sarah got me a luffly little Harry Potter post-owl & HP stickers, and Samantha got me an adorable winter-scene jelly candle. Hurray!
*Gasps in excitement* GUESS WHAT? HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX IS COMING OUT JUNE 21ST! I'm happier than the donkey from Shrek when he embarked on his mission to save the princess with his ogre pal. Geeeeeeee!

Old Gang Sign

2003-01-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

Hellooooo, everybody! How was your New Year's? Mine was simply mahvelous! Well... for the most part, anyway. Although, I had to wonder, as I watched the countdown to 2003 on the Cartoon Network, why do they always sing that song, "Old Gang Sign" on New Year's Eve? It just doesn't seem fitting to me. *Grins stupidly*
And now to abruptly change the subject! Folks, I'm grounded from the computer once again. On the morning of New Year's Eve, my dad announced that he had my report card in his hands. I was pretty mad that he had opened my mail, of course. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm pretty sure it'd be difficult to mistake the name "Holly" for the name "Ken" on a piece of mail. But whatever anger I was feeling toward Dad was nothing compared to the familiar feeling of dread in my stomach.
Dad informed me that I'd failed my distance learning classes and my intro to theatre class. He asked me what was up with that, and I explained that I'd tried my best to keep up with the classes, but it was just too much for me to handle. Dad didn't really yell at me that much, but I ended up crying anyway because I was extremely dissapointed that I'd failed my intro to theatre class, despite how many notes I'd taken and how I tried to make sense of the crazy diagrams of theatre in anient Greece. However, I know I didn't try hard enough, and so I'm going to devote as much time as Hollyly possible to school this coming semester. I know I can do it. I mean, just look at my grades in theatre practice and career exploration. I got 100% in theatre and 90% in CE. I'm going to do awesome in all of my classes. As much as he upsets me sometimes, I really, honestly want to make my dad proud. And, of course, the rest of my family. And most importantly, myself.
This past year has been one of the best yet, and in honor of 2002, here's... *drum roll*...a survey!
~Appearances~
clothing item/outfit of the year: Red Mirage, Las Vegas shirt and jeans.
hairstyle of the year: French braids.
jewelry of the year: Amethyst (birthstone) ring.
car of the year: VW Bug convertible.
hottie of the year: Dave Loisel, the vegetarian boi whom I have a crush on.
~Daily life~
food of the year: Mom's homeade stuffed pumpkin shells, all the way!
class of the year: Theatre practice, the greatest, most incredible, awesome class anywhere, of all time!
appliance of the year: My friend, Ed, the computer. *Hugs him and lovingly cleans his screen with Windex*
recreational activity of the year: Acting, pantomime and improv.
means of communication of the year: Face-to-face.
most despised means of communication: The phone.
~Sentimental~
gift of the year: Daria--Is It College Yet? DVD.
vacation of the year: Las Vegas, summer of 2002.
holiday of the year: Christmas, o' course!
achievement/s of the year: I've taken a class that I absolutely love, and has helped me figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life, as well as made awesome new friends during, and has majorly improved my self esteem. Plus, I've been in my first play, The Elvis Monolouges! And I've gotten my G.E.D., of course!
memorable moment/s of the year: Pantomiming and doing improv in theatre, getting ready for and acting in the play, going out with the theatre folks, mistakenly wandering onto the roof of the Flamingo Hilton with Zach in Vegas, breaking my ankle in two places and spraining the other while chasing my cat, Daria, becomming dehydrated and being hospitalized for a day, helping Mom and Mike move into their new house, visiting Mike in the hospital and Samantha's birthday party.
insight of the year: "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."--Albus Dumbledore.
miracle/blessing of the year: Mike surviving after being deathly sick with hepatitis and chronic fatigue, and me getting my G.E.D.
~Personal~
embarrassing moment of the year: When that hot doctor took my cast off after having it on for two months, and saw all that gross leg hair.
body part of the year: Eyes.
heartbreak of the year: When Sarah wrote in her online diary about how she'd cheated on Zach with numerous guys. For the next couple of months, I constantly felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.
health issue of the year: In January, when I got the flu, and puked for 10 hours straight, then had to be rushed to the hospital because I was so dehydrated.
fetish of the year: ...Harry Potter merchandise?
phobia of the year: Spiders.
crush of the year: Dave.
~People/social~
old friend of the year: Sarah, despite everything that happened. She's still a great friend.
new friend of the year: All my theatre friends, especially Leah, Kyle and Don.
relative of the year: Mom, who was there for/with me during all the tough times I had this year, and all of the good times.
internet buddy of the year: Lucy, who's been an awesome online pal since 2000!
enemy of the year: Osoma Bin Laden.
reformed enemy of the year: Shakira.
~Entertainment~
musician/singer of the year: Amy Grant.
band or group of the year: Lifehouse
album of the year: Avril Lavigne--Let Go
movie of the year: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
biggest waste of nine bucks and two hours: The Good Girl and Abandon
actor of the year: Brian Gaskill (Rafe, Port Charles)
actress of the year: Erin Hershey (Alison, Port Charles)
all-around celebrity of the year: J.K. Rowling.
televsion show/series of the year: Port Charles
television channel of the year: Cartoon Network.
website of the year: freeopendiary.com and fanfiction.net.
book of the year: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
magazine of the year: Animal Times
--Holly :-D

The Joys of Being a Seat-Filler

2002-12-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

Hi, folks! Whaaaaaat's happening? As for myself, Zach has just helped me to de-Christmas my diary! Yesterday, I helped Dad to de-Christmas the family room by taking the tree downstairs while Dad sang "G'bye Christmas Tree". De-Christmasing things is just no fun, is it? I find it very sad that Christmas 2002 is over. But, at least we still have New Year's Eve! Hoo-hoo! *Does a few sommersaults then hurts her back and sits back in desk chair*
My dad's girlfriend, Terry, tore a rotator cuff in her shoulder when she fell down 8 stairs at her house a couple weeks ago. She thought her arm was getting better, and she asked my dad if the two of them could go, see a fun show like the Rockettes Christmas Extravaganza. So, my dad ordered the 250 freakin' dollar Rockettes tickets, only to find out a few days later that she thinks her arm hurts too much to go to the show. My dad was mega-dissapointed, but it was okay because I was available to go, and when I was little and a dancer, I wanted to be a Rockette.

The show was fun, but my mom thinks it was just horribly rude of Terry to cancel on that really expensive show when she can go to work and all.
My Sims are having a good time with their new dog and cat, Felicia and Paulina. Paulina doesn't seem too fond of Yves the Caterer, though. Every time he tries to pet her, she's like, "Hisssssss!" It's a good thing my real-life pets are much more polite than those belonging to my Sims. Oh yes, I did take a break from the Sims a couple of times to see some movies. With Dad and Zach, I saw The Hot Chick T'was one of the coolest, funniest, sweetest, most overall awesome movies I've ever seen! I love it, and demand that all of you go to see it. Right now! Go, go!
Yesterday, Mom and I went to see Harry Potter & the COS again with my movie passes that I got for Christmas, and I notice that I dislike the closeness between Harry and Ginny when they're in the Chamber of Secrets. This 8-year-old kid kept going, "Aw!" whenever he held her hand or something, and I would have smacked her, but Mom didn't think that'd be a good idea for some reason. I mean, the kid was glaring at me when I said "Awwww!" about Harry and Hermione in the hospital wing! *Kicks kid while Mom's not looking* Dood, speaking of Harry and Hermione, check out this awesome website I found! Kindred Spirits. It's the luffliest of the HP sites because they specialize in Harry/Hermione, Draco/Ginny and Lily/James, just like me! Hurray for me and my nerdy obsessions!

And now, here's a survey, courtesy of Ashley!
What is your favorite band?: Lifehouse. All of their songs include lots of Jason Wade's husky goodness, and lots of luffly guitar sounds and such.

What band should just die?: Although I don't wish death upon any particular band, I do wish to stop Insane Clown Posse before things get too out of hand.

Pick a song for each mood:
-Happy: "Take Me Away" by Lifehouse
-Depressed: "Somewhere Down the Road" by Amy Grant
-Excited: "Albuqurque" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It's so exciting, what with the whole, "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again! If you need help, hang up and then dial your ooooooperator!"
-The World Can Kiss Your Arse for Whatever Reason: "Heart Attack" by Darren Hayes.
What is in your CD player right now?: Jennifer Love Hewitt--Barenaked. It's catch-ay!
First song lyric to come to your mind: "I've been down this road before. All that I've found points me right back to you. And I've watch you move from down below. Where do I go from here? I guess I'll find out as I go."--Lifehouse's "Empty Space"
What song describes you at this very moment: "All Right" by the fabulous Amy Grant.
Holly :-D

Chistmas Eve, Christmas Itself and Boxing Day

2002-12-27T13:26:00.001-05:00

Hi there, folks! Whew, I haven't written since 12/21, eh? That's gotta be a record! I had a lovely Christmas, so I figured I should stop playing The Sims Unleashed, for God's sake, and tell you all about it! Oh, and by the way... I'M NO LONGER GROUNDED FROM THE COMPUTER! WOOOOOOO! *Flounces onto next paragraph*

Christmas Eve has always been the day that we spend at the grandparents Shoup's house with my mom's side of the family, which means we're in for a fun-filled day of presents, party-sized Blimpies subs and plent o' criticism from my judgemental cousins! Grandma has this awesome tradition where she fills out stockings full of apples, tangerines and nuts, like her family got in their stockings during The Depression. This year, while carrying presents into the house, I tripped over Carrie's shoes and went flying head first into the Christmas tree, surprisingly without getting injured. Then we sat down for subs and Zach entertained us by spilling six subs and a glass of pop on the floor. *Grins innocently* Zach and I just felt the need to bring some Zintel grace into the Shoup home. That night, I tagged along with Mom and Mike to my step grandma's house, and got yelled at for doing things like sitting on the piano bench and trying to sit on the couch without putting a towel down first. We sat and listened to Michelle sing opera before we could escape to church.

On Christmas morning, Zach came home from his 3rd shift job as a security guard, and woke Dad and I up at 7:15 frickin' A.M.! *Pats his head* I can forgive him for that because it was Christmas and he was excited. While we opened presents, I endured the sounds of my least-favorite movie, A Christmas Story since Zach and Dad love it so much. From Dad, I recieved the following: Michelle Branch--Spirit Room, Jennifer Love Hewitt--Barenaked, Faith Hill--Cry, Spider-Man, Someone Like You, Chocolat, Kate & Leopold, Charlie's Angels, The Sims Unleashed, Sim Coaster, three lovely new outfits, a might-ay comfortable desk chair and a Virgin cell phone. I found it rather humorous that my cell phone is Virgin brand because it's my first time having a cell phone. Zach gave me Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for Gameboy, Shrek for Gameboy, the Daria--Is It College Yet? DVD and a stuffed Hedwig! She's luffly.

Christmas afternoon, we went to Aunt Barb and Uncle Don's house where we watched their digital cable--*pauses to drool*-- and ate Christmas dinner, then opened presents. Grandma & Grandpa Z. got me The Wedding Planner and Beauty and the Beast special edition DVD, and Aunt Barb made me a beautiful fleece blanket that I absolutely adore.

Aunt Barb, Uncle Don, Lindsay and Jennifer have this adorable 10-year-old Yorkie dog named Corky. He's from a puppy mill (remember, never buy a pet from a pet store!), so the poor little guy has a lot of problems. Right now, he's got a horrible skin irritation problem, and he's been chewing through his fur, and making himself bleed, trying to scratch his itches. Poor doggie.

I spent Christmas night at Mom's house, and in the morning, Zach and I exchanged gifts with Mom and Mike. From Mom, I got all sorts of fun Harry Potter merchandise--two calenders, a big gift-package of HP stuff including a Hagrid doll, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, a Hermione toothbrush... I also got a beautiful, warm pink pair of pajamas. *Beams and pets fluffy new pajamas* Our pets, Chyna, Daria and Amy all had fun going through their stockings, and I think we all had a wondermous Christmas. I heart my family, and I also muchly heart soy nog. *Rubs stomach in a full-like fashion* I think Mommy and I are going to have to make a lunch date with my pals, Sarah and Samantha so I can give those two crazy kids their presents, and so I can go shopping with my new bunches of Christmas money! I just realized that, before Christmas break, I saw .:::ECHO EFFECT:::. Dave at school, and he gave me his E-mail address and told me we should get together and cook sometime, in all our vegetarian splendor! *Shrieks and throws Hedwig into the air in celebration*
*Hugs for all*
--Holly :-D

I'm So Family-Oriented

2002-12-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

'Ello, folks! 'Appy Christmas and g'day to you and yours! *Drops the corny British accent* Look, I got to sneak on the computer while my dad was on his date! Hey, look, I even had enough time to fill out this luffly survey about my family! Check it out.

Back in the day, from left to right: Grandpa Shoup, me, Dad, Mom, Zach, Grandma Shoup, Grandma Z., Jen, Grandpa Z., Uncle Don, Lindsay and Aunt Barb.
1. What are your immediate family's names and ages? Mom--Wendy G. Killbreath--47, Dad--Kenneth William Zintel--47, brother--Zachary Kenneth Zintel--21.
2. Which one of them do you most get along with? Mom. She's my best friend, and she absolutely rocks in every way.

Me and Mommy

3. Which one do you least get along with? Dad. He's usually pretty angry about something, and I usually get yelled at for whatever it is.
Siblings
4. Do(did) you have any of the same friends as a sibling? Yup! In elementary school, Zach was my best friend, and I was also friends with (and had a crush on) his best pal, Tim. And Zach was usually pretty good friends with my pals as well.
-did it ever cause any problems? Did it?! In high school, Zach dated my best friend, Sarah, on and off for about four years. They had a horrible breakup involving lots of terrible insults and such. Zach still is quite vengeful toward Sarah, but she's still my best friend, and so... well, it creates some problems.
5. Do you look like them? I don't think so. Do you?

Me and Zach

6. Do(did) you ever go to school with them? Yes. I was in elementary with him for most of the time, and I went to the same high school as him his senior year. Plus I go to the same college as him now.
-were teachers always comparing you with them? Comparing and contrasing, yes. In 3rd grade, when we were learning to write cursive, we wrote "Zachary Zintel" for the letter "Z". That was neat-o. *Chortles*
7. Out of you and your siblings who is the best at?
-academics? Zach.
-athletics? Heh... uh, I think we both suck equally at that.
-manipulating? Zach.
-being lazy? Eh... I think we tie! We're both sooooo lazy.
8. Describe a fight between you and them? In 2000, Mom and I wanted to go to Vegas to meet Mom's online dude, Mike (not the same guy she's married to now). Zach thought the idea was ridiculously proposterous, and tried to forbid us to go. However, it was Vegas, and by Fred and George, we were going.
9. Have you ever dated any of the same people? (not at the same time, of course) Um... well he's a guy, and he's straight, and I'm a girl, and I'm straight. So... no.
10. Truthfully, who do you think gets the most love from the parents? They both love us equally. Seriously.
Parents
11. Do(did) they embarrass you going up? In high school, my dad pulled this thing where he made me write down all my assignments, then have my teachers sign the assignment sheet, and that was ridiculously embarrasing. My mom has never embarrased me.
12. What is the most prevailing quality(personality and looks) you get from your dad? We both stand with our feet out to the side, like a penguin and we both tend to quote The Simpsons in everyday conversation.
-mom? Our eyes are quite similar in all their bluish green glory, and we're both all nice and such. *Beams*
13. Do you get along with them? With my dad--not usually. With my mom--always.
14. What is the biggest thing you have in common with your dad? We both think it's funny on Funniest Videos when people walk into sliding glass doors, and animals beat up people.
-mom? Our animal rightsiness. *Holds out arms for birds to perch on*
15. If you don't get along with them, how come? I don't get along with Dad very often because he's usually in a bad mood.
16. What are their tastes on music? Dad listens to oldies, and Mom listens to good music (ex: country, pop, etc.).
17. What kind of car does your dad drive? A silver Chevy Impala with a luffly sun roof and such.
-mom? 1994 white Buick with the trunk smashed in (thanks to Mike).
18. Do you think their cars describe their personality? Dad--absolutely. He all thinks he's Mr. Cool, and the car just screams, "I think I'm Mr. Cool!" Mom--absolutely not. Because... well... just no. Some sort of awesome red convertible would suit her personality much better.
19. What do they do for a living? My dad councils drug addicts and alcoholics at GM, and he's all a big shot there and crap. Mom's a 3rd shift stock worker at Target.
20. Are your parents happily married? Em... I'd say no, since they're not married to each other at all anymore.
21. If they aren't married, how would your life be different if they were? It would probably suck. When they were married, and Dad would get in his yelling-around-for-no-apparent-reason moods, I had to sit there and listen to it. Now I can just go to Mom's when he does that.
22. If you still live with your parents and they spilt up tomorrow, who would you go live with? Well, they're already split up, so... yup. But if anything happened to them (God forbid... seriously *crosses heart*), I'd live with my grandma and grandpa Shoup.
Holly :-D

The Jingle Cats Are My Favorite Band

2002-12-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, I lied. Lifehouse is my favorite band. But the Jingle Cats are a close second! Check it out, they're playing on my diary description! *Happily meows along with their song* Zach and I met all the people from my theatre practice class for dinner last night, except for Monica, who apparently had better plans than hanging out with her classmates at a mediocre restaurant the week before Christmas. We all went to Luigi's, the 5th dirtiest restaurant in Flint (I'm not kidding, it said so in the paper a while back). I really wanted to get everyone in the class a Christmas present, so I spent $30 on 14 frames with group pictures of us all inside, along with a bunch of candy for everyone. They all seemed thrilled with the gifts, especially Morgain and Jason, since I included Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans with their presents.

*Looks up* Oh look, there's the picture I handed out to everyone! Yuuuuup. It's downright depressing that I don't get to see all these lovely people again for two whole weeks, but I guess I'll live. It really sucks, though, that some of the theatre practice folks will not be signing up for theatre again next semester, like Jim and Pat. I may never see those two again. *Cries* And that's just wrong. I tell ya what, though, I love these folks! Last night, Jason kept handing various unsuspecting people nasty-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and telling them stuff like, "Have a jelly bean, it's chocolate!" and then it'd turn out to be dirt or something. When it was time to go, there were hugs and goodbyes all around, and I think we were all horribly sad to see Pat and Jim go, and it was hard for me to leave. Everyone urged Zach to join theatre practice next semester, so he's going to think about it. Hurray!

[picture not found]

From left to right and back to front: Larry, Don, me, Monica, Jim, Leah and Nick, taking a bow.
Dood, there is a mouse in the freaking house. Ah crap, I wish that sentence didn't rhyme, it makes this sound like it's a humorous turn of events, and it's... just... not. I'm not afraid of mice or anything, but I would rather that they wouldn't hang out in my family room. I was just sitting on the couch last night, writing my fic, "Harry Potter--The Bachelor" when I saw something run by really fast. At first, I figured I'd just had too much garlic butter with my breadsticks at Luigi's, and thought I must be hallucinating. After all, their food does have a pretty bad rep, and I could have had food poisoning or something. But then I heard scampering coming from behind the plants, and figured I'd better get the heck out of there if I didn't want a mouse climbing up my leg. Huh. Maybe I am afraid of mice, and just never knew it, but now I'm scared to go into the family room. *Peers anxiously around the corner*
Zach and I took our dog, Chyna, to the vet this afternoon because she's been scooting around on the carpet like she had worms. She must have heard us talking about how the vet was going to stick her finger up Chyna's butt to feel around for worms because she would not stop shaking and cowering under the bench at the vet's office. It turned out she just had some kind of infection in her butt, and she'll be better soon, so that's good.
Well, I've gotta go, and I don't know when I'll be able to write again because my dad is off of work for two weeks starting tomorrow, for Christmas break, and I'm still grounded from the computer. *Cries* Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to sneak on here soon! Later!
*Hugs for all*

--Holly :-D

Let's All Try to Smile For the Picture

2002-12-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

...and we'll hold it as long as we can. May it carry us through, should we ever get lonely... till the season comes 'round again."--Amy Grant's "Till the Season Comes 'Round Again"

Woo! We did it! We made it through all 3 performances! Well... at least, most of us did. But we'll get into that later.
Thursday, the first night of our play, The Elvis Monolougues, we were all extremely nervous. We got into costume and Monica did everyone's stage makeup, but everyone was eerily quiet. Finally, it was 7:50 and we all stood in a circle & held hands so Lori could give us a pep talk. She started with me, saying, "Holly has come a long way since she started theatre. She told us stories about skipping her classes because she thought her teachers and classmates looked down on her. Now she's one of our most confident actresses." She's right. The students in this class have been awesome for my self-esteem, and I love all of them for that. *Tear* When Lori had said something about all of us, Leah lead us in this prayer-- "Dear God, thanks for all these great people... and let us KICK ASS tonight! Amen." Heh, a little different, but helpful all the same. We all did really well that night, and I was thrilled to see Mom, Mike, Dad, both sets of my grandparents, Zach and his friend, Lindsay all there to see me! My dad gave me flowers. *Beams*
The second night of our performance was... *thunder and lightening effects*... Friday the 13th! None of us were very nervous because we'd already performed without a problem the night before. Regina flushed the toilet during our prayer, there weren't very many people in the audience and Larry's aunt couldn't keep her insane outbursts to herself throughout the show. Most of us forgot at least one line (that includes me) and it was clear that we'd lost our focus. However, there was one major upside to that day-- my FOD pal, 'Drea came to see the show w/ her dad and I was thrilled to meet her! 'Drea rocks! *Hugs for her*
Our last performance was Saturday, and the nervousness and focus were back! We all acted our arses off, but two people had been written our of the show that night. Regina (the pregnant woman) was in the bathroom, puking up bodily fluids until Monica's mom took her to the hospital, and Chris had to skip Saturday's show due to a bad case of laringitis. At the end of the show, we surprised Lori by calling her up on stage & giving her the flowers we'd bought her. Then most of the class went to Applebees, along w/ Mom, Mike & my grandparents. Afterwards, Mike informed me that he thinks I should marry Jason (*rolls eyes and hits Mike*) and Mom told me that Don had told her I was the class' best actress. *Blushes and denies it* Mom gave me Harry Potter merchandise, since flowers die and The Boy Who Lived never will, and my grandparents bought me a cake that says "Good show, Holly!" and gave me $10. Hurray!
We took a butt-load of pictures, but we haven't picked them up yet, so you all shall see them later! *Hugs for all*
--Holly :-D
Oh yes, and since we don't have the pictures from the play back yet, here's a picture of my lovely dog, Chyna.

2002-12-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

Not only is "I Breathe in, I Breathe Out" a lovely song, it's also, more of less, the instructions Lori gave us for the day. That's right, tonight is opening night for our play, The Elvis Monolougues and everybody is freaking out. Lori told us that, until 8:00 tonight, we all just need to chill and let out hair down because the majority of us have been on edge all week.
People have been so nervous that heated (or shall we say... ridiculously loud) arguments have broken out amongst us. For instance, on Monday, Lori told Regina that she didn't want her to wear a certain dress that Lori thought showed (and it did) way too much cleavage. On Tuesday, Lori and Regina were screaming at each other till they were blue in the face because Regina was offended by what Lori said on Monday, and thought Lori was insulting her body. Then the entire class sat in the auditorium while Lori stood on stage and demanded to know if we thought Regina should be offended. *Shakes head awkwardly*
As stressful as it sounds, this week has actually been a lot of fun. For the past few days, we've been having dress rehearsals, and this means practicing our .:::ECHO EFFECT:::. STAGE MAKEUP .:::END ECHO EFFECT:::.

We decided that we should do the guys' makeup first, since they were so resistant. *Cackles evilly* We were jerks, heh. Lori told the bois that the lighting was best in the girls' bathroom (muahahaha!), so that's where we did their makeup. I brought a camera, and Morgan and I took pictures of the guys getting their makeup done in the girls' room. We all agreed that Kyle looks like a doll when he's all made up, and I think he may be plotting our deaths at the moment. Jason, on the other hand, is having a little too much fun with the fact that he "gets" to wear makeup, and bought himself some mascara, which is something not required for stage makeup.
But even during the usually fun putting-makeup-on-resistant-guys-time, things are a bit tense between some of the girls. For example, Leah said, "I want to do Jason's makeup so I can make him look like a whore!" to which Morgan replied, "Don't you get enough practice doing that on yourself?" Um... so Leah wasn't too thrilled with Morgan for a while. *Laughs extremely nervously*

Another thing that's freaking us all out is the fact that people keep forgetting their lines. Leah was so upset after a fight with Morgan that she went on stage and forgot entire paragraphs of her monolouge. Jim did the same thing, and even Don, our best actor, forgot a line. Gah! I think it's time for a prayer now. God, please don't let any of us forget our lines tonight, tomorrow night or the next. We're all under a bit of stress, and could use some guidance. Thanks a lot. *Hugs* Amen.

Hey, look everybody! I changed my name for Christmastime. I'm now "Hollylujah". Excitement, excitement! *Admires new name* Oh yes, and before I go, I should mention that my stepdad almost got electocuted the other day. A pipe in the basement had a leak, and the guy at the pipe-fixin' place told him to hold a hairdryer to the pipe... but well, Mike was standing in the water and... *makes horrible electricity-gone-bad noises* But he's okay. Well, as okay as he ever was.
Wish me luck, kids! I'm off to get ready for the play! *Crosses fingers*
--Holly :-O

BTW, we were in the paper! Next to a Harry Potter ad, even! And you know what the Newsies say... if you're in the papes, you're famous! *Shrieks*

Countdown to Showtime & the Sucky Dream From Hell

2002-12-09T13:02:00.000-05:00

*Cries incessantly* I don't like being grounded from the computer. I haven't been online for 5 days! 5 days! Forget being drawn and quartered and all those various horrible forms of torture... being grounded from the computer has got to be the worst. Oh yes, and "periodic" cramps. I've had those for these past 5 days too. *Shakes fist at no one in particular*

Oh man, I had the suckiest dream I've ever had the night before last. In the dream, my mom was still living here at Dad's house. (In reality, my parents are divorced, and I alternate between my mom's house and my dad's.) Zach and I were sitting at the computer when Dad came back from his bike ride. Oh yes, and Mom had gone for a walk. Dad grimly explained to Zach and I that the Taliban guys were out front, and that they were taking random American families to live in a concentration camp, and that we had been chosen.

At the concentration camp, Osoma Bin Laden told us we could go back home for one hour and say goodbye to whoever (I know, doesn't sound like Bin Laden, does it?). Mom was still out for a walk, but my grandma and grandpa Z. showed up and drove us around the neighborhood until we found Mom. I told her what was going on, and she said, "Oh, now that just doesn't make sense. Why would they let you come back home to tell everyone where you were going? I mean, we could alert the media!" Mom had a point, but Dad, Zach and I still had to go back to the concentration camp. There, the American prisoners were running a college course on how to break out of there. However, one of the Taliban guys caught me reading the textbook, and was about to kill me when I woke up.

When I woke up, I was thinking, Okay, how long do I have until I have to go back to the concentration camp? Eventually, I realized it had been a dream, and calmed down. Oh yeah, but I did want to point out that during the dream, I kept thinking how greatful I should be that God let me have the time that I did with my family and friends, and how I'd taken my freedom for granted all this time. When I woke up, I was kind of like Scrooge on Christmas morning (especially since my mom's house it decorated like a Winter Wonderland). I hugged Mom and all my pets and told them how thankful I was to have them. So, as scary as that dream was, it actually taught me to really count my blessings. *Nods contentedly*.

Zach, Mom, Mike and I all kicked off our holidays this past Thursday! For those of you who don't know, my mom found this lovely Christmas tradition idea in a magazine when Zach and I were little. It's called "kicking off the holidays." What you do is put presents under a big, white blanket or towel, make it look like snow, and tie ribbons to the presents that are underneath the towel. Then each person grabs their ribbon, and pulls their present out from underneath the towel. My present this year was a Make-Your-Own-Snowglobe package, and it's awesome! You put your own pics in them. And we got Mom the new Shania CD. *Beams*

Me, Mom and Zach at Carrie's open house last summer

Mom and Zach came to theatre practice with me last Thursday! It was so much fun, and I think I did a better job with my acting, knowing they were watching. I was backstage with my "co-workers" most of the night, but Zach brought his camera, and we both took a few pictures of everyone acting out their parts and such. I shall have to scan them later, so you can all see my theatre pals that I never shut up about, heh. My mom agrees with me that Don has a sooper touching monolouge. She said, "I just liked having an excuse to look at him for a long period of time." Heh, so she agrees with me that he is one of the hottest guys ever, too. But he is taken. *Pouts* I'm actually getting kind of nervous now that showtime is in sight. Thursday night at 8:00 will be our first performance, and I think we're all a little anxious. Well, I s'pose I'd better be going so I can get ready for dress rehearsal tonight. *Freaks out*

--Holly :-D

Germans From Russia is the Part-ay of the Year

2002-12-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, I went to the annual Germans From Russia Christmas party with my grandma and grandpa Z. My brother, Zach and my cousins, Lindsay and Jennifer used to come with us, but they all think they're too cool for it now. I, on the other hand, simply love Germans from Russia, and look forward to it all year long. We buy raffle tickets, eat a huge, delcious and extravagent meal, then sing Christmas songs and wait to see who won the Christmas gifts in the raffle. I sat across from a 9-year-old boy who really reminded me of Zach when he was 9. This kid, Alex, was an aspiring cartoonist (like Zach), seemed to enjoy trying to set his program on fire with the candle at the table (like Zach and Jennifer used to do) and could remember only the German number for "six"--"Sex" (like Zach). After we ate, 3 women introduced themselves as our entertainment, and began playing instruments that were said to be over 1,000 years old. The music was awesomely Christmasie, despite what Alex said about it. I had never won anything at Germans From Russia in my life, but this year, I sure did! I won 4 prizes, which is ridiculous, considering there are only about 12 prizes, and roughly 100 guests at Germans From Russia. I won a huge Christmasie table center piece containing aromatherapeutic candles, a Jesus tree ornament, a box of delectable chocolate praline seashells and a loaf of homemade rye bread. I think Grandma was kind of mad that I won all that stuff, as she usually wins a ton of stuff there. She said, "Holl, you won too much; I'm taking this loaf of bread you won." And she did, heh.

Zach and I at Bronners when we were littleYOUR HOLIDAY FAVORITES

1.) COOKIE: Peanut butter with a Hershey's Kiss on top. My mommy makes these lovely creations.

2.) CANDY: Reeses Christmas trees.

3.) MAIN COURSE: The Chic Max sub from Blimpies. The grandparents Shoup order us subs for Christmas Eve, and the veggie max that is fake chicken is simply delicious

.4.) STORE: Bronners in Frankenmuth, all the way.

5.) COLOR OF OUTDOOR LIGHTS: Pastels. We have the white icicle kind, but I wish to have pastels. *Pouts*

6.) TYPE OF TREE: Absolutely artificial!

7.) COLOR LIGHTS ON TREE: Numerous white ones, and they must be on that slow twinkle setting that looks like falling snow.

8.) TREE TOPPER: Angel! The one here @ Dad's has fiber optic wings, and she's simply luffly, but the one Mom's online friend made for her is full of angelic fun as well.

9.) ORNAMENTS or BALLS: Both. My favorite tree decoration is my first pair of shoes. They say "Holly Rachael" in fancy gold letting on the soles, and they're gnarley.

10.) GARLAND or TINSEL: Tinsel, all the way! Tinsel was my very first kitty cat, and I loved her muchly.

11.) HIDNG PLACE FOR GIFTS: Dad's closet.

12.) BEST TOY YOU EVER GOT FOR CHRISTMAS: My Belica doll, Rachael. Her hair was the prettiest thing I've ever seen.

13.) THING TO WEAR TO BED CHRISTMAS EVE: My new pajamas! For as long as I can remember, my mommy has given us our new pajamas on Christmas Eve, and she has excellent taste in comfy bed-wear. *Hugs Mom*

14.) TIME YOU GOT UP CHRISTMAS MORNING AS A KID: Around 5 or 6:00 A.M. I actually don't remember ever falling asleep on Christmas Eve, but I definitely remember waking up with my stocking in my arms. Mom always snuck into our rooms and put our stockings in our beds so we could go through them right when we woke up.

15.) TIME YOU GOT UP CHRISTMAS MORNING LAST YEAR: 6:30, but only because Zach made me. He got out of work and decided everyone should get up. *Makes an angry/sleepy face*

16.) DO YOU ENJOY SENDING OUT CHRISTMAS CARDS: Absolutely! Haven't done it in a while, though...

17.) HOW DO YOU DISPLAY THE CARDS YOU RECEIVE? We tape them up around the big wooden-frame (door substitute) that leads into the family room.

18.) HOT CHOCOLATE, EGG NOG or APPLE CIDER: Hot chocolate and Soy Nog with apple cider for desert. *Nods happily*

19.) ALCOHOLIC DRINK: I'm a proud no-alcohol girl.

20.) DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY IN YOUR HOME? Indeed we do!

21.) HOLIDAY SONG: "Welcome to Our World" by Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.

22.) HOLIDAY MOVIE: Prancer, The Santa Clause 1 & 2 and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

23.) BEST HOLIDAY EPISODE OF A TV SHOW YOU EVER SAW: One Life to Live in 1995.

24.) HOLIDAY TV SPECIAL YOU EVER SAW: Garfield's Christmas but I also love Charlie Brown's.

25.) DO YOU WRAP THE GIFTS YOU PUT IN A STOCKING: Nope.

26.) HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU FOUND OUT THERE WAS NO SANTA CLAUS? Alright, now it's just a lie that there's no Santa Claus.

27.) HOW DID YOU FIND OUT? Well, Zach and Mom kind of sat me down and tried to convince me that there was no Santa Claus when I was 11.

28.) HOW DID YOU TAKE THE NEWS? I thought they were B.S.ing me then, and I still do. There is a Santa Claus, I tell you!

29.) DO YOU GO TO CHURCH ON CHRISTMAS EVE/CHRISTMAS MORNING? Christmas Eve night. It's always the highlight of my year; we have a beautiful candle-lit service where we all stand and sing "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" for half an hour, then hand out hugs instead of our usual "May the peace of Christ be with you" handshakes, and everything seems right in the world. *Beams*

30.) WHEN DO YOU TAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS DOWN? After New Year's.

--Holly :-D

The Town is Somewhere Under That Pile of Snow

2002-12-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

We have just a bit of snow here. A tall guy might be able to go outside and keep his head about snow-level... maybe. It's nice to have a butt-load of snow, though, if you ask me. If you ask all the people driving 2 and a half miles an hour on the express way, however, they might not think it's so great.

Remember last week when I wrote about that house around the corner from mine where they had that standoff with police about how that guy threatened to kill his wife? Well... apparently, they didn't keep him in jail long enough. Friday night, Zach and I followed a couple of ambulances home. My dad had a date that night with a woman in Detroit, and Zach had to go to work. So, it was 11:30 at night, and I was sitting in the family room, watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns and eating peanut butter crackers when the phone rang. I was nervous anyway because I don't like being home alone, and when the phone rang, I jumped 12 feet into the air and broke the remote control to the Christmas tree. My grandma Shoup was on the phone. She said, "Holly, is your dad there with you?" I told her he wasn't, and she said, "Well, there was a murder in that house that's right by you, and they haven't found the guy who did it yet."

To say the least, I was a bit freaked out beyond belief. I paged my dad, and he called me back, saying he was on his date in Detroit, two hours away, and they hadn't even ordered their food yet! I told Dad what was happening, and he didn't think there was anything to worry about. He said, "Holly, people don't just go on random killing sprees. You'll be fine." Well, geez, I'm sorry, but I don't know how a psycho's mind works! Besides, those sniper guys did go around, killing random people! I went to spend the night at my grandma's house, 'cause I sure as heck wasn't sticking around. The police have caught the guy who killed his wife by now, but I'm still kind of weirded out.

Well, to lighten this entry up, I'm going to take a song survey and show you all this Christmasie Harry Potter fan art! Woo!

Name the song that...
Makes you think of happy things: "1980 Me"--Darren Hayes
Makes you cry (or gets ya close): "Sweet Jesus"--Gary Chapman
Makes you laugh: "Albuqurque"--"Weird Al" Yankovic
Makes you want to dance: "The Macarana"
You never want to hear again: Every song by Eminem
You love that you wouldn't have known about if it wasn't from a movie: "You Belong to Me"--Jason Wade (Lifehouse) from Shrek.
Makes you think of being alone: "I Love a Lonely Day"--Amy Grant
Makes you just feel good: "Take Me Away"--Lifehouse
Makes you feel Christmasie: "Welcome to Our World"--Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith
Makes you feel sexy: "I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt"
Makes you get shivers: "Two People Fell in Love"--Brad Paisley
Strangely Relaxing: "Naked"--Avril Lavigne

--Holly :-D

Pretty Lights Are Everywhere, Shining Night & Day

2002-11-29T11:53:00.000-05:00

"...Christmas can't be very far away." <---You know what that is? That's right, it's a line from one of my favorite of Amy Grant's Christmas songs! And you know what that means? That means the Christmas season is upon us! Eeeeeee! How spiffy is that? Why, that's positively spiffilicious! The only thing I don't like about this season is that some people seem to think it's hunting season. And to that, I say "grrr." Grrrrrrrr, I tell you! *Glares and kicks at the freaking hunters while holding deer protectively*.

*Takes a few deep breaths* AHEM. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm just a tad perturbed about all this "hunting" business. My cousin, Lindsay, seems to have chosen one of those... those hunter bois as her boyfriend, and I didn't take kindly to the fact that she freely discussed the fact that this hunter boi was out hunting, all through Thanksgiving dinner. *Sigh* Other than the talk of how Lindsay is dating this dude, and how most of my family members ate turkey, I think Thanksgiving was lovely. As usual, my brother Zachary and I had Thanksgiving lunch with my dad's family, and dinner with my mom's. At Grandma Z.'s, Zach, Lindsay and Jennifer had fun listening to the CDs of prank calls Zach has made, and then they decided to prank Lindsay's and Jen's boyfriends. At Grandma Shoup's, I read a prayer for the turkeys that Mom printed out, and Zach & Mike thought it would be hilarious to eat turkey and laugh during the prayer. *Rolls eyes* No respect, I tell ya.

Good Lord, I had the worst flu this past week. I figured I was going to have to go to the hospital. I just couldn't stop puking, so I thought I must be getting dehydrated, like I was last winter when I had to go to the hospital. Eventually, though, I was able to keep some Coke and clear Gatoraide down, and now I'm okay. *Gives a thumbs up* Apparently, everybody's got this flu because I went to theatre practice on Wednesday to find that only five of us attended! Not even Lori, the teacher, showed up, so we had some guy named Mike who acted exactly like Lori, so it was like she wasn't even gone.

Dood. Our show opens December 13th, in two freaking weeks! I hope people start showing up to class before then so everyone can have their parts down. Gaaaaah, only about seven of us have our lines memorized so far! *Goes to use inhaler* I'm okay. We put up the new Christmas tree that Dad ordered from QVC yesterday morning. It's pre-lit and pretty. I would go, sit in the family room and gaze at it, but there's a mouse or something in the attic, and you can really hear it walking around in the family room, so... yeah. I think I'll just stay here. *Hugs for all*

--Holly :-D

Cops Out Front, Snipers in the Bushes

2002-11-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

Zach woke me up for school this morning at 8:00, and I was pretty dang tired, and didn't really want to get out of bed. But I ate my peanut butter toast nevertheless, and got ready to go to school. I walked out to the living room and started putting my shoes on, and Zach opened the drapes. As soon as he did, we saw a couple of cop cars in front of our house, and the cops were holding huge rifles, and blocking off the road. Zach went out to ask them what the heck was going on, and they said, "There's a situation behind your house; stay inside." So... we did, while Zach decided to open all the shades in the family room so he could see what was going on back there.

Zach walked out of the room with the phone so he could call my grandparents, who also live in this neighborhood, but I stayed in the family room. I heard a knock, and saw a guy all decked out in army garb with a big-arse rifle, knocking on my sliding glass door. I didn't think I should answer the door to this dude, so Zach went out front and asked the cops if we should open the door to this army guy. They informed us that he was a cop too, so we opened the back door, and the army cop was like, "Hey, there's a man with a gun right around here, so don't be getting up in the windows, and stay inside." We began shutting the blinds as we spotted a sniper hiding between the bushes in the back yard.

At this point, I was seriously freaked out, and Zach was calling my dad at work, my mom at her house, and our other grandparents and friends. We went down the basement so we wouldn't get shot through the windows or anything, but nothing really happened, so we came back upstairs after a while. We saw a few more snipers hiding in our next-door-neighbor's stairwell when we peeked out the window. Soon, the guy who lives across the street from us was cleaning out his camper, and the next-door-neighbors were outside, talking to the cops, so we settled down a bit. After about 3 hours, the snipers, army dudes and policemen all went back to their cars and left. We just saw on the news that the situation had been about this guy who was threatening his wife with a gun, but the cops arrested him, so I suppose everything is okay now. So... I guess I have a pretty valid excuse for not going to school today. "The cops wouldn't let me leave my house." *Nods* Okay, later.

--Holly :-O

ENFP Spells Holly

2002-11-20T11:49:00.001-05:00

Ew. I don't feel good today. My stomach hurts, I seem to have a bit of a cold and there's a spider on the floor in the kitchen, so I can't get any Pepto Bismol from there. *Cries* Dude, Mike got a job. Yes, my step-dad, Mike. He got a job. A real one! And he actually gets a pay check and such. *Shakes head in wonder* I can't believe it. Mike is now Mr. AT&T, so he goes around to people's houses and tries his darndest to sell them on AT&T. Yesterday was his first day on the job. At one house, an old woman answered her door, informed him that he "Sure looks good," and promptly informed him that she didn't like AT&T, then slammed the door on him. I'd say it's going well. *Nods happily and gives a thumbs up*

I have a class called Career Exploration where we take surveys and basically waste an hour of everyone's day. A couple weeks ago, we took a survey called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The test informed me that I belong to a group of folks called "ENFP", which means that I am "Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving." This is what that says about me: "Warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency." Then it proceeded to give me a list of jobs that I'd be good at. I like the idea of Playwright or Screenwriter. I could be like Colin Hanks in Orange County. Anyway, so my new major is Creative Writing.

I muchly enjoy Theatre Practice. The other day, I realized that I sound a lot like the Band Camp Girl from American Pie when I talk about it. I'm all, "And this one time, at theatre practice, Kyle was doing his monolouge, and he kept saying, 'No, no, no, DAMMIT!' and it was so funny!" Yeah... I'm a nerd. But then there was this one time, at theatre practice last week, and Zach went with me. I did my monologue for an hour and everyone says I need to act more bitter and angry, so I've been observing divorcees. 'Tis amazing. I went to my cousin Allison's play a couple weeks ago, and their play (Charlotte's Web) makes ours (The Elvis Monologues) look like Cruel Intentions and their look like Sesame Street. So... yeah. I'm sorry, but ours is better. *Sticks tongue out at them*

Mike has recently developed the idea that I'm going to convert from Christianity to Paganism since I'm so into Harry Potter. He heard this dude on the radio say that a girl killed herself because she read Harry Potter, and then she looked up Divination on the web, and apparently, her horoscope or something told her she should kill herself. I couldn't even begin to tell him what was wrong with that. He told my mom, "Wendy, I'm worried that Holly's going to do something like that!" Yeah, thanks for giving me so much credit, Mike. Besides, Harry Potter doesn't promote Divination or anything, it basically makes fun of it! Geez... stupid people. So... *HUGS FOR EVERYONE except for you nutcases who think Harry Potter is evil*

I apologize if I haven't noted you back yet, but I'm still grounded from the computer and it's rather hard to get on here. But I will note you all as soon as possible. Thanks!

--Holly :-D

National Harry Potter Day

2002-11-17T11:48:00.000-05:00

My alarm went off at 8:00 A.M. I sleepily punched the snooze button and pulled my blankets closer to myself as I snuggled up to my cats, desperately wishing my dog would stop crying to get out of my room so I could go back to sleep. When Chyna went into her usual early morning barking/whining routine, I realized I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and went to tear my blanket off of me when I met a pair of brilliant green eyes, which belonged to none other than Mr. Harry Potter, who was printed all over my blanket. And then it hit me like the lightening bolt on Harry's forehead... IT WAS HARRY POTTER DAY!

I had to hurry up and get ready! It was already 8:04, and I had advance Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets tickets for the 11:30 A.M. showing! I hurriedly scarfed down my Multigrain Cheerios, took a shower and brushed my teeth. I let Chyna outside and saw that there was snow on the ground! I love snow, as it's a sure sign that Christmas and my birthday are coming soon! I had snow, Harry Potter tickets and Multigrain Cheerios, and so I knew it was going to be a great day.

Mom and I arrived at the theater an hour and a half early, just to make sure we got good seats. In the lobby, right under the larger than life Harry Potter posters, were two teenage girls all decked out in perfect replicas of Hogwarts (Gryffindor) uniforms. I was like, "DUDE! Where did you find all this stuff?" They informed Mom and I that they had made most of their attire from scratch, and I wished I knew how to do that sort of thing. Mom and I purchased two Harry Potter buckets of popcorn and watched as bunches of Hogwarts students pile in through the entrances. It seemed that everyone was in Gryffindor, and that they all either knew someone who was handy with a needle and thread, or went shopping in the Central Michigan University gift shop (CMU's colors as the same as Gryffindor's). I enviously chatted with these creative Potterheads, thinking how cool Sadora must look in her Slytherin-wear until it was almost time for the show, and the ticket-taking chick let us in.

We got very good seats, and Mom and I sat, listening to the folks around us chatter excitedly about the fact that we would all soon be witnessing the famous Flying Ford Anglia, the Burrow, Dobby, Knockturn Ally, Moaning Myrtle, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Colin Creevy, Aragog and the Basilisk, among other things that we had all only, so far, pictured in our heads. And then came the moment of truth. The previews ended, and we finally got to view the wonders of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Sure, there were things that were inaccurate about the movie... They didn't follow the entire book, and the took a lot of scenes out, but I had expected that. What I hadn't expected was how cool the Chamber of Secrets looked, nor had I expected how sweet and sad it was when Harry brushed his fingers over Hermione's frozen ones as she lay, petrified in the hospital wing and told her he needed her now more than ever. *Tear* I hadn't expected Lockhart, the Cornish Pixies and Moaning Myrtle to look exactly the way I'd pictured them. And did everyone see Harry and Hermione hugging in the Great Hall after she was released from the Hospital Wing? Heh... poor Ron, he only got a handshake.

The movie was, as Paula Abdul would say, two words: "phe" and "nominal". I'll probably have nightmares for the next 50 years after seeing that Aragog scene, but it was definitely worth it! Absolutely awesome, it was. Mom has said she's going to knit me a Gryffindor scarf for Christmas, so I'm rather happy. I must now go to bed, as it's past 3:00 A.M., so I'll leave you with this link to one of the best fan fics I have ever read. Fell So Deep by Fuyimi. Later!

--Holly :-D

Why Do All the A-Holes Live Here?

2002-11-13T11:47:00.000-05:00

I was watching Cribs last night on MTV, and I tell ya what... I've never heard of any of the people I saw on there. Now, these rich folks have some very cool stuff, I admit. Home theaters, jacuzzies, closets that are bigger than my bedroom... Some of these people's backyards even resemble a waterpark or an exotic beach. Now I've got to say, as fabulous as all these things are, I think my dream house would be cooler. The first thing I'd put in my house would be an escalator, for I am lazy, and lot of my family members are caustrophobic. Then the jacuzzies would be added, as well as horses, namely shetland ponies. I think they would get along well with my dog and cats. The home theater would also be necessary. Hmm... I suddenly feel the need to play The Sims. Excuse me...

*Returns momentarily* Anyhoo, there was this weirdo on Cribs who ticked me off to no end. He had animal heads in every room of his house, along with whole dead animals. This guy talked dirtier than the cast of The Osbournes, had hair as greasy as Professor Snape's, and was actually married! And guess where he lived? Michigan! Now, I wanna know what's going on. Why do all the jerks seem to come from Michigan? We've turned out more scumbags than Slytherin, I swear! Eminem, Kid Rock, Madonna... what's the deal here? Honestly!

Huh. You ever notice how when you go through your favorites on FOD, it appears that all the names of FODers are in alphabetical order? Only... that's not alphabetical order, is it? Only on FOD does the alphabet not start with "A", but "*". That's a tad odd. *AHEM*.

So... who hasn't read my story yet? It's not finished yet, but hey. It will be. Hopefully. Ah, come on, humor me! Everyone who reads my fan fiction, Harry Potter--The Bachelor, gets a free cookie. From their cabinet. If they have any cookies. HEY! Speaking of Harry Potter, his new movie comes out FRIDAY! I'm going to see it with my mommy first. *Nods happily* You should all go see this picture here, since FOD won't let me put it on here for some reason. Harry and Hermione are hugging. *Glows in a glow-worm-like fashion*

--Holly :-D

Ah Crap, Not Again!

2002-11-08T11:36:00.000-05:00

Well, that's just great. I'm grounded from the computer... again! On Wednesday, Dad came home from work and he somehow found out that I lied about re-taking my very first psychology test in September, so now I'm grounded from the computer again until I actually do re-take it. He started yelling at me like he always does, and I cried, and it wasn't pretty. So... I just thought I'd get on here and mention that to you folks while Dad's at work.

I went to see The Santa Clause 2 with Dad the other day, before he went crazy. I didn't think anything could be better than the first Santa Clause, but I was wrong. That movie absolutely rocked, and gets 5,000 stars and 7 thumbs up from me! Aw, there was all this sweet, mushy stuff and an adorable little girl and his little boy Charlie's such a cute little pre-teen now... The movie's just full of "aw"s and that's my favorite type o' movie. Bernard is cool, too. Can't forget that guy, with his gnarley yarn hair. I'm gonna go, see it again on Sunday with Mom and Zach. Ah yes, and while I was at the movies, I got this spiffy Harry Potter bucket! It was full of popcorn when I got it, and now I plan to take it to the beach sometime.

Man, I went to theatre practice the other day, and when I turned the corner into the hallway that leads to my class, it was pitch dark. It was like that nightmare everybody has about walking down the dark corridor, only I decided to not walk down it. I turned around and went down the alternate hallway... only to find that it was dark too! Finally, somebody from class yelled to me, "HOLLLLLLLLLLLLLY!" and I was like, "WHAAAAAAAAAT?" and they were like, "THE LIGHTS AREN'T WORKING!" and I was like, "NOOOOO CRAAAAP!" So I felt my way to the auditorium and we had theatre. Pat, our "tech man" tried to fix the lights, but he ran outta batteries in his flashlight, so I lent him my Gameboy batteries, and then there was light. During Nick's monolouge, we found that his friend had killed himself a couple weeks ago, when Nick began sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of his monolouge. It was really sad. Luckily, Leah did her monolouge right after that, and her monolouge gets the Hollarious Stamp of Approval. Heheh... she has man-slaves.

By the way, my diary's niftified now. Yup, Z-Bear helped me make it pretty yesterday. I made the collage. *Goofy, proud smile* That's Ron, Hermione and Harry; a family pic of Mom, Dad, Zach and I when I was about 3; Daria and Jane; Zach, Sarah and I; Rafe and Alison and... I think there's a pic of me now too.

--Holly :-D

Surveying My Inner Child

2002-11-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

Hello, you delightful little kiddos, you! Let's see, what have I been up to? I didn't do much on Halloween because, of course, I didn't go to Larry's party party. I'll bet they really missed me at that party, too. They'll probably come into theatre practice tomorrow saying, "Oh Holly, the party really sucked since you weren't there!" and I'll be like, "What was that? I can't hear you. Maybe it's because I can only hear non-alcoholics." *Nods* Yup... that's what'll happen. Anyway, I didn't dress up for Halloween because I didn't go anywhere, and no one came over. We had about 8 trick-or-treaters, and only one of them had a costume. And 3 of them were 17.

Well, I no longer think very highly of Miss Avril Lavigne. My mom bought me an Entertainment Weekly that's all about Avril, and that sk8er girl is not nearly as cool as I thought she was. As it turns out, she's a hunter... and she's actually proud of it! And what's up with her breaking that guitar over that car in the "Sk8er Boi" video? If she didn't want the car and the guitar, I would have taken them! She didn't need to break 'em. The whipper-snapper...

The time has come to break out the Christmas CDs! Thanksgiving is coming, and so is my play and so... is... CHRISTMAS! Ooooh, excitement time for Holly! Yup. Well, guess what? I've got this awesome little book called My School Days. It's a keepsake and memories album, and it has a survey for every year of school (pre-k through 12th grade). Here's a picture of me as a pre-schooler. Don't ask me why I had those dorky bangs. But I like the dress, it's neat. I want a plaid dress...

Here's how I filled out a survey when I was in 1st grade (I was 6).
When I come home from school, I like to: Drink milk, eat popscicles and play with Jake's grandchildren. (Note from 18-year-old Holly: This must be why I'm allergic to milk now.)
At school, my favorite thing to do is...Hear stories, go outside and go to art class.
Once, at share time, I: Said that Daddy told me I could maybe have a baby kitten!
On Halloween, I dressed up as:Ariel, The Little Mermaid.
My best friend this year is: Shannon
But I also like: Ashley.
The tooth fairy came: 5 times
And I got: Toys and lots of money.
For my birthday: I had a Little Mermaid party & an Ursula pinata. I had a kids' party & a family party! Wow!
My best present all year was: Go-go Walking Pup.
My most fun trip was: To Myrtle Beach, S.C. We played in the ocean, collected shells, swam in the pool and shopped.
These are a few of my favorite things
School lunch: Chips, bologna and cheese. (Note from 18-year-old Holly: EWWW! I didn't go vegetarian until the next year!)
Sport: Dancing, biking.

TV show: Full House, Muppet Babies and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Movie: The Little Mermaid, Annie and Heidi.
School clothes Little Mermaid shirt.
Holiday Christmas.
Doll (truck): The Little Mermaid.
Restaurant: Chuck E. Cheese.
Game Super Mario Bros. III

Well, it was fun to have a chat with my inner child. Now, I must go, as it's time to vote. Ah yes, and I'm working on un-Halloweening my diary, so don't think I slept through Halloween and don't know it's over or anything. *Shifts eyes nervously* Ta!

Holly :-D

Spending Devil's Night @ School

2002-10-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

Wheeeeeew, I tell ya what! Party hardy! Where'd everybody go this Devil's Night? I'll bet you crazy kids spent the night drinking an overcaffienated beverage like Mountain Dew and playing Spin the Empty Mountain Dew bottle or something totally uncalled for such as that! Well, I bet I can beat all of ya for fun tonight. That's right! I went to... MOTT COMMUNITY COLLEGE, BABY!

Now I know it's customary for me to spend Devil's Night hanging out at home, eating the candy I originally intended to hand out to kids on Halloween, but I decided to do something cool this year, so I went to school. I know, I know... I'm such a rebel. I bet that you folks would just love to hear me drone on and on about my theatre practice class, but I'm going to rant instead. Sorry to dissapoint you.

I was planning on going to Larry's party tomorrow night, but Morgan informed me tonight that, "It's going to be a party party, Holly. I mean, you know, with drinking and stuff." And well, we all know that the strongest thing I drink is pineapple/orange/banana juice. Speaking of which... *returns with juice* Mmm... juuuuuuiiice... And so, I will not be attending Larry's Halloween party. Instead, I will be holding a Courage the Cowardly Dog-athon at my mom's haus. T'will be much more fun than the party party, I assure you. *Is pensive* But you know what I've been wondering? Why is a party only considered cool amongst college kids if it's a drinking party? I mean, I always thought the "cool parties" were the ones where folks sit around, playing Scattergorries and eating chips & salsa while Lifehouse plays in the background. *Shrugs* I guess I'm not "hip". And I'm probably not "down" either. So I figure I don't have the "411" and I'm most likely not "jiggy with it". Oh well.

Maybe on my 21st birthday, I'll have a group of hot guys over to play Naked Uno or something. I'm very good at Uno, so... yes... *Cackles in a Halloween-like fashion* By the way, I have decided on my big Christmas present from my Dad for this year. You see, my brother and I are a bit... well... how should I put this...? Ah yes--SPOILED ROTTEN. And since Zach and I are spoiled, Dad buys us one big present each, every Christmas, along with little presents like DVDs and other not-so-ridiculously-expensive gifts. For my big present this year, I have decided on... *drum roll* a CD player for my car! It's true, I don't have a license yet, due to laziness... and loneliness. I don't like driving a car by myself, and so I've been having people drive me places for as long as possible. But most of my friends are chain-smokers. And I have asthma and a strong dislike for cancer, and so I just can't ride in a car with my chain-smoking friends any longer. I shall get my license soon. That is a promise.

Okay, bed time for Holly. Night-night.

--Holly :-D

Bowling For Burritos

2002-10-28T11:14:00.000-05:00

Man, I wish I had the makings for a bean burrito, or a car to go to Taco Bell in. Oh well. I suppose I'll just fill out this survey that I stole from Living in Excess.

list your favorite memories.
1. Getting my first pet for Christmas when I was 7. She was a gorgeous yet rather violent purr-cat named Tinsel.

2. Spying on my mom and a guy she met online with Zach and Sarah. We used code names and sat in a corner booth with menus over our faces. T'was luffly until Zachary blew our cover.
3. Going on a Vegas Vacation with my entire family. Grandma Z. stole a bunch of Luxor "Do not disturb" signs for all us kids and Zach and Lindsay had fun knocking on people's doors and running away.
4. Staying up late in the summer with Zach, watching Conan and Letterman.
5. Shopping in Tawas with Mom when I was little.

list the components of your perfect day.
1. Waking up at the Rio in Las Vegas.
2. Eating at Planet Hollywood in Caesar's Forum with my family, friends and J.K. Rowling.
3. Spending most of the day buying all the toys and various merchandise in the Harry Potter room at FAO Shwartz.
4. Hanging out with Dave at the Flamingo Hilton garden/pool area so we could play with the flamingos, penguins and Japenese Koi.
5. Challenging various unsuspecting people to games of air hockey in the Luxor arcade.

list the music that has changed your life.
1. Amy Grant
2. Lifehouse
3. Avril Lavigne
4. Wilson Phillips
5. Savage Garden/Darren Hayes

list some people who have really changed your life.
1. Mom
2. All my favorite family members
3. Sarah
4. Randi
5. All my theatre pals

list your addictions.
1. Harry Potter
2. Daria
3. Port Charles
4. Disney movies
5. Music. You know, the good kind.

Well, that was fun, but now I suppose I should mention that fact that I got Lifehouse's new CD, Stanley Climbfall, and it... is... AWESOME! My favorite songs on it are "Anchor" and "Am I Ever Gonna Find Out?" The lyrics to "Anchor" are exactly what I think Harry thinks about Hermione. Yeah, yeah, I know you people think they're fictional, but are you absolutely certain? *Grins dorkily* AHEM. Anyhoo, check out the chorus to "Anchor" and tell me it doesn't sound perfect for Harry and Hermione:
"I know I will never be alone. You will never let me go. You are my anchor. Hold my hand while I'm sinking in the sand. No one else could understand. You are my anchor."
*Dorky grin returns* I love it. My dad bought me a luffly light blue sweater-jacket-thing. 'Tis wonderful. *Hugs and handshakes*

--Holly :-D

Halloweenized

2002-10-25T11:12:00.000-04:00

Hello, everyone! As you can see, Zach has helped me to Halloween my diary. *Hands him a pack of "fun-sized" Skittles from Halloween candy stash* Dad, Zach and I went to see The Tuxedo with Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt today. I heart that movie. Tis rockin'. And my dad decided today that I'm no longer grounded from the computer! WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO! In honor of this awesome occasion, I have decided to fill out this Halloween survey that I filled out last year, once again. Happy "Holly"ween!

Section 1 - Obligatory Questions:

Name: Holly the Rachael Zintel

Age: 18

Location: Flint, MI.

Section 2 - This is my costume. Give me the damn candy!

What was your first Halloween costume? I was a Carebear. I couldn't eat any candy due to my lack of teeth, but it was still jolly good fun.

What was your costume last year? I was a costumeless dork last year.

What will your costume be this year? I shall be a Chinese person, for I have a cool Chinese novelty hat, and not enough time to put a good Hogwarts student costume together.

Has there ever been a reoccurring theme with your costumes? For three years in a row, I went as various characters from Daria--Daria, Jane and Andrea.

Through the years, what have your costumes been? A Carebear, a clown, Smurfette, Peter Pan, Ariel the Little Mermaid, a butterfly, Paula Abdul, a ballerina dinosaur, Miss America, a silly-looking witch, Todd from One Life to Live, a yin-yang... thing, some sort of freak made up of Smiley faces, an Egyptian chick, Daria Morgendorffer, a vampire version of Jane from Daria, my Grandma Z. and Andrea from Daria.

What was your favorite costume? Miss America. I was 7, and I loved the Miss America pageants. I felt all special, getting all dressed up in a glamorous-looking nightgown, heels and a cool, glittery sash.

What is your dream costume? A Hogwarts student. I'd be in Gryffindor.

Which do you prefer, store bought or home made costumes? Homemade. I've never had a store-bought costume in my life because I think they're uncreative.

Masks or make up? Make-up! Where's the fun in putting on a frickin' mask?

Have you ever dyed, cut or did anything else to your hair for a costume? My mom dyed my hair red when I was Ariel in kindergarten, and my dad dyed it black when I was Jane the vampire, but the dye got on my neck, and wouldn't wash off for weeks! Ah yes, and when I was Daria, I had my mom cut my bangs. I shouldn't have done that. It was not a pretty sight.

What is the longest time you ever spent working on a costume? I think it was when I was Todd from OLTL.

The shortest? The Egyptian one didn't take too long, because I just wore one of my dance recital costumes, and painted eye-makeup on.

What was the most expensive costume you wore? Grandma Z., I think.

The least expensive? Probably Smurfette.

Section 3 - Trick or Treat, smell my feet, gimme something good to eat.

What kind of bag or pail did you collect candy in? A pillowcase.

Did you ever get so much candy it spilled over the top? I don't believe so. I usually got too tired to stay out very long.

Broke the bag/pail? Nope.

Did you just Trick or Treat up your street or your street and everyone else's? Usually my whole neighborhood, but for the last few years, it was my aunt Barb's neighborhood, and once, my grandma Shoup's.

Candy that you hated to get? Rock candy. I felt like Charlie Brown.

Do you think Trick or Treating should only be done at night? Yes, but safely and responsibly. This 4 in the afternoon crap is getting ridiculous.

What is the perfect weather for Trick or Treating? Nice and warm so you don't have to put a coat or hat on and mess up your costume or makeup.

Section 4 - It's alive! ALIVE!!!

What is your favorite monster? The Cookie Monster.

Why do you like this monster so much? He bears cookies. What's not to like?

If you had the chance to be this monster for one day, what would you do? Eat a lot of cookies.

If you could be anywhere in the world on Halloween, where would you want to be? Home.

What is your favorite Halloweenish song? "Nature Trail to Hell" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It's playing on my front page.

What is your favorite horror movie? Ernest Scared Stupid.

What is your favorite horror novel? In a Dark, Dark Room.

Have you ever been to a theme parks Halloween celebration (i.e. HallowScream, Halloween Horror Nights, ect.)? No. That'd probably be cool, though.

Is Freddy really dead? The guy on Scooby Doo? No, I just saw him yesterday.

What about Bela Lugosi? I... figure as much. (I have no idea who that is.)

Have you ever been to a real haunted house? I hope not.

Did anything spooky happen? Um... yeah.

Is 13 an unlucky number to you? Not particularly.

Oh man... I just went to Hollywood.com and it seems that Richard Harris, a.k.a. Professor Dumbledore, died! That's pretty dang upsetting. I don't want to sound like a jerk saying this, but... I wonder who will play him now?

--Holly :-0

Just For The Holl of It

Well, That Was Random

Deathly Hallows Spoilers Are Spoilicious

Tagged Like the Ear of an Abused Cow

55 Questions to Ask Your Dog

I'm (Apparently) a Sexy Man

Ouch, My Liver!

You are The Moon

Hard Times

Ew, Politics Are Gross

Het AND Slash... Together at Last- in Quiz Form!

A Short Story

OhmyGod, ZOLOFT!!!!

Top Ten Hottest Guys

Holly? Uh, No, My Name Is...

Dentists Are the Devil

Zuppa Toscana!

Bury Him in Papers or Wow I Love Ranch

A Veritable Smorgasbord

Trab Pu Kcip

Your Political Profile

Got a Funny Kind of Feeling (Like a Herd of Wild Pigs is Trying to Chew Off My Hair)

POSSUUUUMS...!

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Why Matt Owes Me a Pizza)

Online Quizzes Are All the Rage

The Cheat is Not Dead. Neither is Holly

You Can Only Talk About Potatoes So Long

Holly's Guide to the Movies

Beautiful Disaster

Straight Eye For the Queer Guy

Two Guys, a Girl and the Odd Chick Out

In Love (Scenes) With a Gay Guy

How Fencing Can Be Hot

The Dramatic Entry

A Lesson in Tough German Elegance

Hyperventalation Ensues

Improvisational Humping and Daria Is Neat

Of Best Friends and Baby-Sized Miracles

Annual Crap Hits the Fan Day

Hired and Fired

Fun With the Play and Reconstructing the House

4 Days Until Scene 6

The Trouble With Wanda's Visit

I'm Over Here, Under This Pile of Fan Fiction

*Gasp* A Serious Entry? From Holly?!

A Day in the Life of Little Holly

Try Pie, Try

Ask Holly

Madlib Charades

Fun With Talking Inanimate Objects

Evil, Threat-Bearing Valentine Cookies

Honk If Your Keyboard Has a Horn

The Case of the Overflowing Theatre Class

SuperHoll Sunday

Old Gang Sign

The Joys of Being a Seat-Filler

Chistmas Eve, Christmas Itself and Boxing Day

I'm So Family-Oriented

The Jingle Cats Are My Favorite Band

Let's All Try to Smile For the Picture

Countdown to Showtime & the Sucky Dream From Hell

Germans From Russia is the Part-ay of the Year

The Town is Somewhere Under That Pile of Snow

Pretty Lights Are Everywhere, Shining Night & Day

Cops Out Front, Snipers in the Bushes

ENFP Spells Holly

National Harry Potter Day

Why Do All the A-Holes Live Here?

Ah Crap, Not Again!

Surveying My Inner Child

Spending Devil's Night @ School

Bowling For Burritos

Halloweenized

Gasp A Serious Entry? From Holly?!