Kate’s Rants

I was searching for my transcript from college in my old emails (hoping i had maybe sent it to my parents or something) because i honestly cannot remember my GPA. it really wasn’t THAT long ago, right? 

anyway, i found this awesome essay/journal entry i had emailed to my professor of my children’s lit class:

Kate O’Hara

Ravenclaw

Journal 4

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Issues in Identity

In the chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets titled “The Polyjuice Potion”, Harry and Ron face the challenge of being in someone else’s shoes, which relates to the book as a whole in that Harry faces continuous troubles facing his identity, and tries to come to terms with who he is.  In the beginning of the chapter, Harry is brought to the headmaster Dumbledore’s office, and is introduced to Fawkes, a phoenix, and re-introduced to the sorting hat (a hat that talks to you when you put it on, and decides which of the four houses you will be in).  The sorting hat is an interesting recap, because during this school year, Harry is having difficulty accepting the sorting hat’s decision to put him in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.  Harry has found out that he speaks Parselmouth, a snake language, the same as the founder of the Slytherin house, and also the same as the heir who is out to kill all the muggle-borns.  This presents an interesting crisis in Harry’s young life, for he knows that the sorting hat originally thought he should go in the Slytherin house.  While in Dumbledore’s office, Harry tries on the sorting hat again, to reassure himself, but finds the sorting hat still thinking Harry would have done well in Slytherin.  With the mention of that word, Harry jerks the hat off of his head, and turns to see Fawkes.  The introduction of a phoenix is another interesting comment on identity.  A phoenix is reborn after it dies, so it does not really ever die.  The fact that Fawkes bursts into flames right in front of Harry shows him that even though something seems like one thing, it really can be another.  Although Harry thinks Fawkes is a goner, in all reality, he is simply being reborn.  Lately everything in Harry’s life has been a mix of messes, and Harry really does not know what is going on.  People are scared of him, for the wrong reasons.  Having something solid to believe in is very important to Harry right now, and will help him later on.  In addition to that, Dumbledore tells Harry all of a phoenix’s qualities, which will come in useful later on.  Next, the chapter transitions into the upcoming winter break, and who is staying at Hogwarts.  The fact that most people are leaving is important to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, because they want to test the Polyjuice Potion and find out if their enemy, Malfoy, knows anything about the heir of Slytherin and the accidents that have been happening around the school.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione take the potion, Harry turning into Goyle, Ron turning into Crabb, Malfoy’s two sidekicks.  Hermione refuses to go with them, saying she will catch up with them later on, all the while staying in the bathroom stall.  Harry and Ron seek out Malfoy, and get him to tell them some information.  They learn that Malfoy is not the heir to Slytherin, but he wishes he knew who it was so he could help them.  A lot of light is shed on Malfoy’s character in this chapter.  It seems as if Malfoy tries too hard to be evil, and that he only wants to impress his father.  He also talks about Hermione in such a way that one is reminded of elementary school and pulling of pigtails. Malfoy is like Harry in some ways, because he too, is having an identity crisis.  He comes from an evil family, and he feels he must do evil things.  He must hate all muggle-born witches and wizards, he must go around wreaking havoc, and he must be an enemy of Harry Potter’s.  The fact that Malfoy is obviously attracted to Hermione makes him very uncomfortable, because she is a so-called “mud-blood” and interferes with his pure-blood heritage.  His way of dealing with this attraction is to attack her personally, and try to make it seem less obvious that he likes her.  Malfoy only wants to impress his father, and by liking a muggle-born witch, he is letting his father down.  Malfoy seems lost and confused, just as Harry is.  Meanwhile, Harry and Ron face a different identity, by literally being in someone else’s shoes.  They have the opportunity to be someone else for an hour, and by taking this opportunity, they learn just how it is to be Crabb and Goyle.  The get a first hand look at Malfoy’s character, and they get incriminating information about Malfoy’s family.  Finally, at the end of the chapter, Ron and Harry meet up with Hermione in the bathroom again, only to find she has put a cat hair in her polyjuice potion, and has turned partly into a cat.  Hermione’s “miss perfect” identity is shocked when this blunder reveals that Hermione is NOT perfect, and makes her a little more human (once she gets re-transfigured from being a cat/human).  Since she is perfect most of the time, this reveals that she can make mistakes and she does have feelings.  Instead of laughing at her, Harry and Ron comfort her and take her to the nurse to get fixed.  The bonds of friendship are shown once again.  

The comments on identity run strong through this chapter.  Everyone is confused as to who they are, especially Harry and Malfoy. They are actually a lot more similar than they think, and one is reminded of two opposite ends of the same pole.  Identity is a strong theme in a lot of children’s books, because children are growing and learning who they are.  perhaps people in general are continually changing and growing, but children are doing it at a rapid pace, and can change drastically in a matter of months.  this common thread can be found in a few fairy tales: The Little Mermaid (she wants to be a human, wants to leave everything she knows), Cinderella (changing a pumpkin into a carriage, a wench into a princess), as well as some books: Tom Sawyer (wants to be Huckleberry Finn), The Secret Garden (Mary and Colin grow and learn who they are, change their personalities and identities when in the garden and because of it), The Wind in the Willows (Toad is continually searching for who he is through a mix of adventures and new interests).  identity is something that everyone wants a solid grasp on, and will go through pain and suffering to find themselves.  

ever think there was that much depth in harry potter?

my most hit blog is titled “benadryl dreams”. apparently people google that a LOT.

what will happen if i just type in key words? will this site get infinately more hits? let’s try:

WEDDING

SPACE

MOVIE

FACEBOOK

MYSPACE

BLOG

CELL PHONE

DRIVING

GAS PRICES

TIME

ok, that’s enough. it’s hard to imagine what everyone is googling. i dont even think i would be googling these things. i usually google stuff that i don’t know about yet but want to know more about.

i guess we’ll see?

it’s been over a year since i’ve returned from my travels, and now i have the itch again. my friend ingrid has been researching the Bunac program (the one i used to move to scotland/ireland) and found out that the New Zealand program does not have a time requirement – like the britian program did: you had to arrive within 6 months of graduating college. this new zealand program states you simply have to be under the age of 35. 

do you realize what this means?! i have 10 YEARS to go! wahoo! 

now it’s pretty much all i can think about. that, and moving into my own apartment. but really….. i seriously want to do something exciting. and the new zealand program is a year long, AND the website said it’s really easy to get a working holiday visa to extend your stay to 2 years. that’s a pretty long time. how FUN would that be?! 

now i’m thinking, maybe i’ll pay off all of my credit cards, then go to pastry school, then go live and work in new zealand for a year as a pastry chef. it’s a brilliant plan if i do say so myself. maybe it’s not super realistic, but it’s my pipe dream. 

time to go to bed to think about this. 

So, for some reason my allergies are worse than ever this year. I’ve reverted back to when i was 13 and first started getting allergies, and was diagnosed with asthma! i feel like that again. the phlegm or whatever has gone to my lungs, and now i can’t stop coughing! it’s awful. so i basically cannot really sleep for long periods of time. which sucks, cause i seriously need my 8 hours. 

next year i’m getting the shots for sure. and maybe i should invest in some breathe-right strips. or something. 

i DID have a dream last night that i was friends with jim and pam from the office, and we were all just hanging out at work, telling jokes etc. then we were about to leave, and i turned off a light in a different room, but apparently “stanley” who took the form of greg from work, was in the room and so he chewed me out for turning the light off on him. i just kept saying “i’m SORRY! jeez!”

and that is all i remember. 

i’m not even tired right now because i was out with some friends and oh yeah, i keep coughing. blargh! 

and i know for sure i will be tired at 7am when i should be getting up for work. and i’ll probably change my alarm for 7:30, even though i’ll really wake up at 6 because of the coughing. at this point, i just can’t wait till july and everything is over. 

well i suppose i’ll read for awhile. i need to find a boring book so i can get sleepy. the end.

so i was cruising craigslist ads for apartments on my “lunch break” today (while i was simultaneously working on something through our very very slow server) and found one for a 1 bedroom in downtown davis. and not just downtown: first and C street! that’s REALLY close to campus, very close to farmer’s market, and very close to jamba juice and ben and jerry’s and….. well it’s awesome basically.

i’m going to look at it tomorrow. if it really IS awesome, i might just have to move in now to save my spot. sure i’ll be paying double rent for a couple of months. but i have been saving up some money, and i calculated it out, so i should be fine.

heck YES. i really hope this place works out. i dont really want to move to woodland, even though if i DID, i could probably find a 2 bedroom for the same price as this 1 bedroom. sheesh.

also, i dont know if this place allows cats. but i figure i won’t ask, and i can just sneak Poof in. she does love looking out windows, but whatevs.

so everyone out in cyberworld: keep your fingers crossed for me. maybe i’ll be moving in june. sweeeet.

Oh avacado,

smashed onto my sandwich

you taste oh-so-delicious

but then when i bite

you squish out the sides

and splat on my lap.

Oh, avacado

you are so green

my pants are so not

and now, avacado

i must wipe you into my napkin

and throw you away

in contempt.

NEVER AGAIN.

but maybe tomorrow.

you taste too good.

THIS IS THE LONGEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!! 

i rented “becoming jane” mostly because james mc avoy is in it. he’s very dreamy. 

but i dont know why i thought i’d like it. i dont like any jane austen books, so why would i like a movie about her life?? what was i THINKING?? what a waste of a netflix movie. oh well. 

but seriously, this movie is going on way way too long. her life was not THAT interesting. for sheezy. she fell in love with a poor guy, and can’t marry him. sad. cry. cry. start to like the original not so hot dude, because he respects her. yay. happy happy. come on. someone needs to die or there needs to be a little more action. 

wait wait… i think she’s “old” now… like it’s supposed to be the end of her life and she’s an accomplished writer now maybe. oh yep. now she’s all famous because she wrote pride and prejudice. i guess that’s sortof the story of her life? i dunno, i never read it. BECAUSE I DONT LIKE JANE AUSTEN BOOKS. 

by making her “old” they just made her look sick. hahaha. 

ps: james mc avoy is way hotter with his natural scottish accent. seriously. 

awwww he named his daughter after her, to sickeningly remind himself of the love he lost all those years ago. *tear*

the end.

i have a choice: i can either go on a cool fun cruise with my friends this august, OR i can spend my money on furniture from ikea and decorate my new apartment (that i will have, i dont have it yet.)

what a dilemma. fo shizzle. 

i mean, i’ve never been on a cruise OR to mexico, so that would be AWESOME! but i also really really want to redecorate my apartment i will be living in… 

gah. decisions decision. what should i do? opinions?

i’m eating my lunch right now. i ordered a bean and rice burrito combo plate (the combo includes a side of beans, rice and chips). basically, lots of beans and rice. except they didn’t put any rice in my burrito, so LOTS of beans. i dont know if it was such a good idea to order so many beans at work. yikes.

so i really miss eating lunch with my friends in scotland. we always had some crazy convo. most of the time here i eat lunch by myself in my office, really fast because i have to move on to the next thing. LAME. but it’s a toss up. my job here is way better than my job in scotland.

so my dad suggested i move to washington DC because there’s lots of young people running things over there. he thinks i’d fit it.

i might consider it if i had a friend or someone to go with. i dont know ANYONE there, and my family is here so i’d have to basically save all my money to fly back to california 2 times per year. and i dont know what i would do there.

i have briefly thought about doing a culinary program in new york. not the city, the state. that might be kinda cool, but again, i’d have to save money to do it.

last night i looked at ikea.com and fell completely in love with one of their bedroom designs. when i move, i’m going to copy it somewhat. also, i was thinking about it, and i could totally fill a 3 bedroom house up all by myself. sheesh! i mean, i’d have a guestroom/office, i’d have MY bedroom, and i’d have a studio. that means if i ever have a family, we better be living in a mansion or i better get less selfish.

well i should get back to my lunch. it’s getting cold. i might not eat all the beans though, or i’ll feel bad for my coworkers. gross.

hello all! i realize i have not posted in awhile. i was just re-reading some old blogs and remembered how fun it was to post random things.

and then something funny happened which reminded me of other funny things that i feel like sharing.

so there are 3 cats in our house. i have one (her name is poof/poofer/poofy/baby) and my roommate has 2. anyway, 2 of them are sitting on the windowsill right now. a moment ago, a bird came and landed on the window screen, which caused much commotion among the two kitties on the windowsill. there was squeaking, scrambling, and general confusion for about 15 seconds.

that was the most action i’ve seen all day. wow my life is SO interesting right now.

but on that sortof note….. my roommate with 2 cats provides endless entertainment for me. i’m at a point in my life where i’d much rather live by myself. but certain circumstances caused me to search for a roommate on craigslist. that being said, i think i found myself a rather normal-ish roommate.

however, she does not seem to know how to talk to boys or keep them around.

not that i can really talk. my ONE relationship lasted the longest when we were 3000 miles away from each other. hm.

anyway, just from simple observations, i have learned some surefire ways to lose a guy in 10 SECONDS.

1) definitely say you want to go to dinner, then eat dinner before he shows up.

2) talk about your cats. and nothing else.

3) talk about yourself a lot.

4) talk about your past relationships.

5) tell the boy they must be gay.

6) if he tells you he’s allergic to your pets, invite him over to your pet-infested house IMMEDIATELY.

7) when he shows signs of being ready to leave, tell him you’re almost ready and then leave him in the living room with the 3 cats for 10 minutes.

8 ) be in the shower when he shows up at the door. classic. let’s make him wait at the door for 20 minutes.

if you don’t want a guy to stick around, just try those tips. i’m sure they work every time. simple observation.

but hey, at least she’s reeling them in right?? i have not a clue on those tips. sorry folks.