Welcome! This is a very special post. Two firsts!
Today is the first Monday of my new Monday series I have cleverly stolen the title for: Music Mondays. It will be a weekly feature with Seven with Devyn's first permanent guest blogger.
He is Hercules, Herc for short, and he happens to know me very well. This is his first post, just in time for HP week! He is a wealth of knowledge on many topics especially music and movies. I hope you enjoy his posts as much as I do!!! Show some love in the comments!
7 Songs I Associate With Harry Potter:
(part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists)
I watch the movies and I take the journey, go along for the ride. What amazes me about these films and the books they came from is how rabid their fans are. I am a fan just not a rabid one.
This is a quickie playlist compiled in honor of Harry Potter Week. Add your songs in the comments.
(Spotify playlist found here.)
7.10.2011
Seven Favorite Hogwarts Professors
'Ello!
Welcome to day 2 of harry potter week! It also happens to be Sunday, but since nobody wanted to guest blog this week...or ever...cue guilt trip here....I pulled this post together all by myself!
I always read books with just a little too much gusto. I get all tangled into the characters and their stories and just really invested. In make believe characters. They've even invaded my dreams before, HP, Stephanie Plum, Lindsay Boxer, etc etc. Anyways, this just allows me to grow passions for their lives and those people that the main character encounters. Does that make sense? I grow to love the heroine's fella. I learn to love the cop's partner. I wonder what my transfigurations classes would have been about today. This is perfectly normal.
This is not the reason I have no friends either. The two are completely unrelated. Really.
Seriously.
Here are My Seven Favorite Hogwarts Pofessors(or just teachers...):
Those are my favorite Hogwarts staff members! That is what I should have named this post. Oops! Too late now.
Suck it Snape.
Get Lost Lockheart.
***I did not spell check the JKR original words in this post, so if I misspelled something please DEAL WITH IT!!! Thanks. ***
Welcome to day 2 of harry potter week! It also happens to be Sunday, but since nobody wanted to guest blog this week...or ever...cue guilt trip here....I pulled this post together all by myself!
I always read books with just a little too much gusto. I get all tangled into the characters and their stories and just really invested. In make believe characters. They've even invaded my dreams before, HP, Stephanie Plum, Lindsay Boxer, etc etc. Anyways, this just allows me to grow passions for their lives and those people that the main character encounters. Does that make sense? I grow to love the heroine's fella. I learn to love the cop's partner. I wonder what my transfigurations classes would have been about today. This is perfectly normal.
This is not the reason I have no friends either. The two are completely unrelated. Really.
Seriously.
Here are My Seven Favorite Hogwarts Pofessors(or just teachers...):
- Professor Minerva McGonagall. She teaches you how to transform yourself into an animal. She teaches other things too but how cool would that be? I would be a domo, what would you be? As head of Gryffindor she also was sort of a mother to Harry and that gives her a special place in my book.
- Professor Albus Dumbledore. The man who cursed HP to live with the Dursleys. The man who dies to save Harry(and the world). The headmaster of Hogwarts for Pete's sake. This man...this great great man...he gets me all choked up. He taught HP some of the greatest lessons he ever learned and they were not learned in a classroom. Lemon Drops for everyone.
- Professor Remus Lupin. The werewolf defense against the dark arts teacher. He taught Harry how to defend himself against the bogarts. He taught HP and his friends to be more accepting of different people and their backgrounds. He's was vital member of the Order. Something about him...I just can't help but love him. RIP.
- Rubeus Hagrid. I don't think they ever called him professor without mocking him. He's just Hagrid anyways, no need for fancy titles. The best friend and brother and father and hero that HP never knew he wanted. He was just the groundskeeper(and Dumbledore's errand man) until he taught Care of Magical Creatures for a while. All he ever wanted was a dragon for a pet! Truly Harry's biggest ally.
- Madam Poppy Pomfrey. Okay, okay she wasn't really a teacher. She was the school nurse, the one who put all of the students back together again. She could fix all of the physical problems caused by backfiring spells and just overall mischief. Remember when she re-grew all of HP's bones in his arm? Skele-gro, yum!
- Professor Pomona Sprout. Herbology. Poor Neville's only friend. Here's how I got here: Harry is in Gryffindor. Harry is a truly nice boy/man who befriends nerdy Neville early on in the series. Therefore I befriended awkward Neville Longbottom early on in the series, Professor Sprout was an inspiration to him and therefore a hero in my book. Voila!
- Professor Sybill Trelawney. She was pretty much a hack but Dumbledore saw her predict the prophecy of the Chosen One. Without her Dumbledore would never have known how special HP was. Also she provided a fair amount of entertainment throughout all of the books. So farfetched sometimes that I would have pulled a Hermione and dropped her class. Tea leaves?
Those are my favorite Hogwarts staff members! That is what I should have named this post. Oops! Too late now.
Suck it Snape.
Get Lost Lockheart.
***I did not spell check the JKR original words in this post, so if I misspelled something please DEAL WITH IT!!! Thanks. ***
7.09.2011
Seven Favorite Harry Potter Books
Welcome to Harry Potter week!
I decided to do 7 full days of Harry Potter themed posts for the days leading up to and the day of the final Harry Potter movie release. Cheesy, huh?
Its no secret to those that know me personally, but I'm quite a nerd. Best part? I'm completely okay with it.
So for the first day I'm not getting into anything too nerdy just yet. Just simply an ordered list of my 7 favorite Harry Potter books. I know there are only 7 of them, but some are better than others.
1. HP and the Deathly Hallows. The seventh and final book in the series is my very favorite and sometimes I just read it without reading the others before it. I usually am very logical and 1 must come before 2 and so on. I love that every single open ended item, every loose end is tied up in this book. Its like JKR took a giant broom and dustpan and swept everything up and made it all make sense in this beautiful story. The flash forward at the end is the best way this story could have ended to me. Being a true romantic-happy-endings kind of girl, there was no other option in my mind!
2. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Book #3 is such a turning point for Harry in my mind. Having Mr. Black come into his life this way is truly a JKR original approach. For Harry to have blood relatives again was such a heart warming discovery. A book warmed my heart. It was just so good! I remember the cd I had in my Walkman the first time I read this book, and the song I listened to on repeat was "I Want You to Want Me" the live from Budokan version. That was when I fell in love with Cheap Trick and that song. Thanks HP!(and dad...)
3. HP and the Sorcerer's Stone. The first book in the series will always hold a special place in my heart since I've read it probably 50 times or more. I can hear certain sentences from it and know where its from. To me it is just very well written as the start of one of the greatest series' I've ever read. It is magical, funny, scary and sad all in one book.
4. HP and the Goblet of Fire. I believe my parents bought this book for me and my brother right before our summer trip to Williams. They bought it when it came out and hid it until the trip so we would have something to do. My brother S and I are both big readers and can read it the car without any issues. Long story short, I finished reading this book with a flashlight, under the covers, very late at night in the slant-y roofed green carpeted room at my great grandparents house. This was the first book I never wanted to put down. Thank you JKR.
5. HP and the Half Blood Prince. So so much dark underlining here in this book. It was really good but it was never my favorite because I do not like the big major death in this book. I get why it happened, I understand it but that will NEVER make me like it.
6. HP and the Order of the Phoenix. This was the most boring book to me, but I'll be damned if I don't want to join the Order still today. The story was just a little ho-hum but I wanted to badly to be a member of the Order and attend the meetings. Can I join the Order of the Phoenix now please?
7. HP and the Chamber of Secrets. I can vividly remember all of the books' plots. Except this one. It never stuck in my brain. Doesn't make it a bad book, I still enjoy reading it and enjoying reading JKR's words...I just can't remember the darn story of this book!
I want to go re read these books again. I last read them in May. The movies are a whole different topic. I just really want everyone to read these books or at least try. I understand that there is a small amount of people who will never get into these books, but some people have no excuses.
Mom and Dad I'm looking at you! smooches.
I decided to do 7 full days of Harry Potter themed posts for the days leading up to and the day of the final Harry Potter movie release. Cheesy, huh?
Its no secret to those that know me personally, but I'm quite a nerd. Best part? I'm completely okay with it.
So for the first day I'm not getting into anything too nerdy just yet. Just simply an ordered list of my 7 favorite Harry Potter books. I know there are only 7 of them, but some are better than others.
1. HP and the Deathly Hallows. The seventh and final book in the series is my very favorite and sometimes I just read it without reading the others before it. I usually am very logical and 1 must come before 2 and so on. I love that every single open ended item, every loose end is tied up in this book. Its like JKR took a giant broom and dustpan and swept everything up and made it all make sense in this beautiful story. The flash forward at the end is the best way this story could have ended to me. Being a true romantic-happy-endings kind of girl, there was no other option in my mind!
2. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Book #3 is such a turning point for Harry in my mind. Having Mr. Black come into his life this way is truly a JKR original approach. For Harry to have blood relatives again was such a heart warming discovery. A book warmed my heart. It was just so good! I remember the cd I had in my Walkman the first time I read this book, and the song I listened to on repeat was "I Want You to Want Me" the live from Budokan version. That was when I fell in love with Cheap Trick and that song. Thanks HP!(and dad...)
3. HP and the Sorcerer's Stone. The first book in the series will always hold a special place in my heart since I've read it probably 50 times or more. I can hear certain sentences from it and know where its from. To me it is just very well written as the start of one of the greatest series' I've ever read. It is magical, funny, scary and sad all in one book.
4. HP and the Goblet of Fire. I believe my parents bought this book for me and my brother right before our summer trip to Williams. They bought it when it came out and hid it until the trip so we would have something to do. My brother S and I are both big readers and can read it the car without any issues. Long story short, I finished reading this book with a flashlight, under the covers, very late at night in the slant-y roofed green carpeted room at my great grandparents house. This was the first book I never wanted to put down. Thank you JKR.
5. HP and the Half Blood Prince. So so much dark underlining here in this book. It was really good but it was never my favorite because I do not like the big major death in this book. I get why it happened, I understand it but that will NEVER make me like it.
6. HP and the Order of the Phoenix. This was the most boring book to me, but I'll be damned if I don't want to join the Order still today. The story was just a little ho-hum but I wanted to badly to be a member of the Order and attend the meetings. Can I join the Order of the Phoenix now please?
7. HP and the Chamber of Secrets. I can vividly remember all of the books' plots. Except this one. It never stuck in my brain. Doesn't make it a bad book, I still enjoy reading it and enjoying reading JKR's words...I just can't remember the darn story of this book!
I want to go re read these books again. I last read them in May. The movies are a whole different topic. I just really want everyone to read these books or at least try. I understand that there is a small amount of people who will never get into these books, but some people have no excuses.
Mom and Dad I'm looking at you! smooches.
7.08.2011
Seven Things I Wanna Do Before I Die
Hi there! Thank you for reading my humble blog, I truly appreciate it.
I need to watch the movie about bucket lists. Is it called The Bucket List? I need to see it.
I think I have a bucket list though. Its constantly evolving which is what I think is the best way to have a bucket list. Some of my list has already been accomplished, but there are some bigger list items that are works in progress. These are 7 of my buckets. I don't think that's what they are called, but I like to call them buckets since they are on my bucket list. See what I did there?
Seven Things I Wanna Do Before I Die(Big Buckets Edition):
Thems are my buckets, do you have any buckets?
Tomorrow we begin Harry Potter week! Hooray! Are there any Harry Potter fans out there?
I need to watch the movie about bucket lists. Is it called The Bucket List? I need to see it.
I think I have a bucket list though. Its constantly evolving which is what I think is the best way to have a bucket list. Some of my list has already been accomplished, but there are some bigger list items that are works in progress. These are 7 of my buckets. I don't think that's what they are called, but I like to call them buckets since they are on my bucket list. See what I did there?
Seven Things I Wanna Do Before I Die(Big Buckets Edition):
- See All 50 States. I'm on my way. I've seen 15 or so by my last count. I was feeling pretty good about it until I met two kids last night that have seen 24 states and 4 countries already. They were both under 12. I've never left the country....
- See A Foreign Country. Maybe even 2 or 3. I have never left the good ole USA. Not even the Mexico side of Nogales. Poor me.
- Have a kid(or two). I love kids. I want my own. Before I get old. That's all. My parents have also made no secret of their desire to have grandchildren! Thanks guys!
- Have a Book Published. I write all the time. I have most of a novel hidden away in digital land. I just am not confident enough with it. I think non fiction might be fun too. Who knows? Maybe this blog will lead to a certain kind of book! I can dream.
- Visit Graceland Again. I have a thing for Elvis. This is no secret. I have also been to Graceland once already. An amazing experience that I highly reccomend. However I want to be there at one of the two biggest weeks there or over Christmas. I'm talking about the week of Elvis' birthday(January 8th) or of his departure(August 16). Someday this will happen.
- Own a 1965 Ford Mustang. Girls can dream about cars too, fellas.
- Get Married. Ummm, two words here. Fairytale dreams.
Thems are my buckets, do you have any buckets?
Tomorrow we begin Harry Potter week! Hooray! Are there any Harry Potter fans out there?
7.07.2011
Seven Fast Food Chicken Varieties That I Love
Hola!
I'm no health nut. Let me make that clear. How could I be? I work in pastry.
Like you and you and you I indulge in fast food more than I care to admit. I have standards though! I can stop anytime I want to. I am in control here! I am. I control my fast food destiny.
I cannot live on burgers and fries alone, but thankfully most places have a chicken alternative. I quite love chicken! Obviously, I will be posting my 7 favorite burgers eventually, but today's post is about my fast food chicken experiences.
Seven Fast Food Chicken Varieties That I Love:
What are your favorite fast food chickens? What defines a fast food restaurant? Talk to me! I hate feeling like I'm writing for my own good. I know this blog is mostly for me but I know you all are reading it, but not sharing feedback! Not just comments, texts, emails, letters of appreciation, all of these are accepted forms of communication here!
***This blog was supposed to have been posted last night. Blogger was being a pain in the butt and not letting me log on, so today is a double post day!***
I'm no health nut. Let me make that clear. How could I be? I work in pastry.
Like you and you and you I indulge in fast food more than I care to admit. I have standards though! I can stop anytime I want to. I am in control here! I am. I control my fast food destiny.
I cannot live on burgers and fries alone, but thankfully most places have a chicken alternative. I quite love chicken! Obviously, I will be posting my 7 favorite burgers eventually, but today's post is about my fast food chicken experiences.
Seven Fast Food Chicken Varieties That I Love:
- Whataburger. Yep, a burger joint with the word burger in its name. Their chicken strips may very wll be the very best I have ever had. I have eaten a lot of chicken in my life. Fingers, strips, nuggets, sandwiches, even salads. Their chicken strip meals come with fries, Texas toast, gravy and ranch if you ask. Coupled with a Dr. Pepper, that is one of my go-to pick me up meals. Deeelicious.
- Chik-Fil-A. They claim to have invented the original chicken sandwich. Its a real breast, combined with pickles and I order mine on a wheat bun. Added bonus: waffle fries!
- McDonald's. I do not care what you say, McDonald's chicken nuggets are off the chain delicious. Honey dunked with a hearty helping of their salty fries is one of those guilt ridden meals that I never tell anyone about. Except right there where I just told all of the interwebs. Oops.
- Wendy's. The 99cent crispy chicken sandwich is cheap and delicious. For the price, and the hunger satisfaction value there will never be a comparison in my book.
- Arby's. Gotta love their roast beef first and foremost, but sometimes you just feel like a chicken. Their chicken fingers are fantastic! Their ranch sauce is thick and different than other ranches out there, definitely worth a try.
- KFC. I have a problem with eating food off of bones. Long story. However, a their chicken strips are just as good as their bucket of bones chicken. You also get to dip it in the coleslaw or drizzle honey all over it. Side of mashers and the only gravy I eat and with the greatest gift God has ever bestowed upon us: biscuits.
- Panda Express. Does this count as fast food? I think so, because you get it really fast. I'm not clear on the technical definition of fast food. Anyways, I love orange chicken from there. All over the top of some chow mein noodles, and my american chinese food needs are sufficiently met.
What are your favorite fast food chickens? What defines a fast food restaurant? Talk to me! I hate feeling like I'm writing for my own good. I know this blog is mostly for me but I know you all are reading it, but not sharing feedback! Not just comments, texts, emails, letters of appreciation, all of these are accepted forms of communication here!
***This blog was supposed to have been posted last night. Blogger was being a pain in the butt and not letting me log on, so today is a double post day!***
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