i will

 I'm a little overwhelmed right now.

Work: I work at Safeway now, specifically in the Starbucks.  It's fun and less boring than other jobs, as Starbucks has always been for me, but the pay is miserably low (and lower than I was told to expect now that the manager who hired me has been forced into early retirement) and it took a month for me to get paid because I was put in the system wrong at first.  On the (small) plus side, Danny was wrong; there is an employee discount, even if it's only on Safeway Select brands.

Health: My ear is a mess.  I got water caught in it a week ago at the pool and it still feels like a bubble.  I went to the ER Monday and they gave me the option of irrigating it or using medicine drops, and when they advised more toward the drops I agreed.  Well, it's still not fixed, and it's absolutely irritating.  And it keeps getting just a little better before getting worse again, so like... I made an appointment yesterday morning but didn't go because it felt a little better and I thought the medicine was working, but now it's fucked again.

School: I've missed a lot of class lately.  I've skipped math the most, but that's not too worrisome because it's easy and I'm not really missing much.  But I missed my ed internship two weeks ago because I overslept... and I missed all my classes this Monday because I went to the ER for my ear... and even though I woke up and drove my groupmates to school for my ed internship Tuesday, I only stayed about 45 minutes because I was still tired and had to work that night, so I wanted to get some rest.  I can't get my Writers' House citation because I can't take the non-WH creative writing class--not enough credit room.  But that's half-blessing-half-curse.  It means one less summer class.

Stories: I have so been slacking.  In fact, that's what I need to do next.  I'm also worried that my NaNo plans will tank again this year...

STUPID EAR.  I hate it.

Old cravings are resurfacing. I've given up on the idea of starting a website based around web design or anything that needs members; I just can't stick to it. Either I get bored very quickly and give up, or I work really hard only to get disheartened by not attracting any active members and then give up.

But I'm getting that "must-design-a-website" itch again. I'm just going to toy with the idea for now. It would be something more personal. Something like this journal, but able to do more. Like I'm thinking of keeping a schedule on there for myself and recording things like exercise, missing classes, when big assignments are due, etc so that I can look back and see when I'm starting to slack. Sort of like nanowrimo, how they have the calendar with light green or light red for days when you do pretty well or slack off a little, and then deep green when you exceed expectations and deep red when you suck the crap out of life. I think I would just have one color for when I do something bad school related and one color for when I do something bad exercise related.

But um. Yes. If I decide to do something like that, I think I'll start on freewebs to see if I stick to it, and if it goes somewhere then look into other options. The good news is that now would be an ideal time; winter break will give me ample time to set something up and be obsessive.

Also, looks like I'll get a B in Writers' House, wth. I didn't comment on three submissions and it subtracted 11.5 points from my grade. Out of 100. Auto-B. Stupid me.

ETA: Thinking about it, maybe I'll just buy a good planner?

I've been working on Synergetic basically all day. Advertising and more. I've really got a different feeling about this site. I'm staying on top of updates, remaining active, even advertising. I despise advertising. Anyway, I'm really hoping to get more members, to grow into a truly active site.

I haven't done any Eysuria work in a couple days, though, mostly because I'm at Danny's. I probably won't until Monday, or maybe Sunday night. That's okay, though.

Danny and I looked at the apartment place he and Justin were considering today. We couldn't tour the actual apartment model they want, but we saw what the studio apartment looks like.

It's a little expensive for Danny's taste, but cheaper places are just ghetto as hell.

He could totally get a less expensive two bedroom model from the same place we went to today, only he wants a living room that's good for surround sound x_x; Well, I might be lying. I think the cheaper ones were one and a half bath, meaning they had no washer and dryer in unit. Blah.

Well, anyway, I guess that's it, I've gotta pee and I need some Oreos badly.

Wow. Okay so, here's the short version of what's been keeping me busy:

x Danny, as always
x Transformers
x building a new website
x college orientation (go Terps!)
x HP: OotP

I guess that's mostly it.

So. Transformers was really good, fun to watch, and the most memorable part for me is how much of a little pervert Bumblebee was. I loved that he couldn't talk for most of the movie, the radio thing added a unique little element. And that preview before the movie, the one they aren't giving a title to, only a release date of 1-18-08 -- it's driving me up the wall. People are saying it's Voltron, but it seems like they're going to too much effort to be sneaky about what it's about for it to be another movie based off a show or comic or whatever. It's such a publicity stunt, but hey, it's working.

The website. Alicia and I are building an art website, mainly for writing but with niches for drawing and photography and what have you. The Afterglow should be up and running as soon as we have a decent number of members. I've been really erratic with websites in the past, letting them die and such, but I'm hoping to keep this one running if only as a project that might come in handy in college. It could look really good for me, you know? It's not just that, though. I'm sick of just letting my projects drop. Usually it's because I get bored with them, and usually it's because it becomes more about making a fancy website than art and challenges. The purpose of this site is a community for artists, perhaps especially for writers, to share their talent and both issue and respond to challenges. There's going to be a monthly literary ezine and things like that. Guides with tips and tricks to improve your writing. So we'll see how it works out. The website's built; now I just need members.

Soo, I spent Monday and Tuesday at orientation for Maryland. I got my university ID, which is infinitely better than my highschool ID (in which I looked like a strung out hooker). I also set up my schedule. I have no classes on Fridays, nearly nothing on Wednesdays... and even though I'm getting a lot of classes I probably won't like out of the way first semester, I'm also taking at least one course that'll be both fun and fill a requirement for my major. I met two people who I really talked to while I was there, they were both cool. One I may never see again since I met him by coincidence and we have very different majors. The other I'll have at least one class with next year... though that class may be one of the huge ones, haha.

Um. HP: OotP. It was a great movie, much better than GoF was. Of course there were things that were missed and even changed a little, but nothing too upsetting, really. (Don't read further if you don't want to know what was left out or changed.) There were a couple of things that were big speculation points in the books that were left out in the movie, though, and it kind of disappoints me since it seems like if it was all that important, JK would have made sure it was in the movie. Like the locket at Grimmauld Place, and the mirror Sirius gave Harry, and the way Sirius was hit by a red spell in the book and just knocked through the veil -- but actually hit by Avada Kedavra in the movie.

/HP: OotP. Begin sixth/seventh book speculation.

I've been debating with Danny over whether Snape's good or evil and stuff like that. First off, I remember the books much better. He's 'read' them once, two years or so ago, and that was on audiobook (hence the quotes around 'read'). Anyway, he's in the camp that simply thinks Snape can't kill Dumbledore and still be good. One thing he said was that even if that was the position, someone loyal to his leader would sacrifice himself before killing the leader or allowing the leader to die. Personally, I think Snape is good. I think he was in love with Lily. So does Danny, for that matter, but he thought it actually said so in the books. He was convinced that the books said Snape was edging in on Lily and that's why the Marauders gave him so much grief. Haha, I'm glad to see our intuition is the same on the situation, but it says nothing of the sort in the books.

Anyway, I think Snape was in love with Lily and it made him hate James worse than ever. I think he hates Harry so much because he's part James' child and reminds him so much of James, but I think he protects Harry despite it because he is Lily's child. If she died to save him... he can't let her sacrifice be in vain, I suppose. And he can't forgive Voldemort for killing her.

I think when he took the Unbreakable Vow, he wasn't sure just what he was swearing to do and that's why he hesitated, but in the end he had to do it anyway. I think when he found out just what he'd sworn to, he told Dumbledore. And I think that in the end, Dumbledore knew Snape would have to kill him, and that's why he went ahead and let Snape teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. He'd be gone next year, one way or another. For the one year he had left, Dumbledore wanted him to be in a position to teach Harry about the Dark Arts, something he obviously knows a lot about. Though of course Harry doesn't learn much when it's Snape teaching him...

Because the thing about the Vow is that it had to happen one of three ways. Draco kills Dumbledore, Snape kills Dumbledore, or both Draco and Snape die. I think Dumbledore wouldn't allow Draco to taint himself like that. And he felt Snape was far more valuable than he was. Especially after the act. There would be one agent for good high up in the Dark Lord's ranks, because after that Voldemort wouldn't question Snape, and neither would any of the other Death Eaters, most likely. None of the good guys would know Snape was working to help them... but they'd have help. It would be hard for Snape, and that's why Dumbledore had to plead with him. Not "Don't kill me." More like, "You have to do this." Because what's harder than working to protect and save people who hate you and would kill you given the chance? How hard would it be, how dangerous, to be an agent for good when you can't reveal yourself to the people around you and the people you're trying to help would never believe you? He would have to find ways to help without either side realizing he's the one who's helping, because the Order would treat any help he offered as a threat.

Back to OotP, concerning Horcruxes... I don't have the book handy, or I'd check, but when Voldemort possesses Harry, doesn't he taunt Dumbledore, saying he could kill them both right now? I may be remembering wrong. But if I'm right, I think that's the strongest evidence for Harry or part of Harry being a Horcrux. Because I doubt possession of an ordinary person would be the same. If you killed the person, Voldemort would probably just leave the body. I don't know. Perhaps if Harry is or has a Horcrux, it just makes it... different. Like when Voldemort possesses him, he actually becomes truly attached to the body because a part of his soul resides there. Plus, I really do think the whole transference of his abilities to Harry would make more sense with a Horcrux present. But I'm not really in either camp on that issue; I'm on the fence.

Danny is convinced that both Harry and Voldemort have to die. I've heard the arguments. I don't think it's gonna be that way. It would be a perfectly acceptable ending, I wouldn't be disappointed (sad, but not disappointed)... I just really don't think it's JK's style. I believe it would fit perfectly well, I just don't think JK would make it to where Harry has to die to save the world. Blah blah blah, Christ figure, yada yada... These books started as kids books, kids have grown up with Harry, I really don't think she'd do that to them.

But I guess we'll see.