I am such a horrible blogger, Benedict Cumberbatch kinda terrifies me, and other revelations since my last post
OK I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT BLOGGING FOR ALMOST 100 DAYS!!!! But things have been chaotic because….
- MY SHERLOCK HOLMES PAPER GOT ACCEPTED INTO A CONFERENCE!!!!
- Second semester. End of story.
- I may or may not have forgotten my password to this account. Whoops. Not one of my shining moments…
But let’s talk about probably the coolest thing that has happened in my short life: I’m officially presenting at my first academic conference! My paper on Sherlock Holmes fan works (which I have been documenting my progress on since I started classes last semester) was one of the first papers accepted (or at least I think it was since I’m basing everything off of confirmation numbers). I am so pumped for this experience! But, with that being said, my school denied my request for funding and everything for the trip (my flight, hotel, etc.) is coming out of pocket. I’ve started a GoFundMe, so if you could share the link or possibly donate a couple of dollars towards my campaign, that would be lovely. Thank you ❤
So kinda going off of that…
My family came down to visit me at school for the Easter weekend (which was wonderful), and my brother asked me what I would do if Benedict Cumberbatch came to my presentation and wanted to talk to me about it afterwards. I told him that I would be terrified.
“Psh. Yeah right. Terrified of meeting one of your favorite actors who you not only find attractive, but a fascinating person who you would kill for an opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with? I don’t believe it.”
But here’s the thing: I’m not terrified of meeting him.
I’m terrified of letting him down. Or anyone, for that matter.
I have put so much work into this paper so far (and after the semester is over, I’m going to be putting a lot more in as well), that I have a lot of people rooting for me. I’m fortunate for this support, but I don’t want to let them down. Failure has always been one of my biggest fears, and I don’t want it to let it get the best of me. Out of anyone I could be presenting this to, Benedict (as well as anyone involved with the show, for that matter) knows the source material as well as I do. For me, that’s intimidating because he knows a lot of what I’m basing my argument off of. I don’t want this to fall short of expectations.
I shouldn’t really be fretting about this, but I’ve tried to get other cast/production crew members to retweet my GoFundMe link so I can hopefully raise the money to go on the trip. If they’ve seen the link, they know when and where the presentation is and what I’m arguing. Which means that there is that slim chance that they’ll be there.
But that’s not going to happen, right?
Stupid Joke Saturday!
So I was on Reddit (wonderfully addicting site, by the way), and I found this gem of a joke.
“What’s white and can’t climb a tree?
a fridge
What’s white and black and can’t climb a tree?
a fridge wearing a tuxedo
How do you fit a giraffe in a fridge?
Open the door and put it in the fridge
How do you fit an elephant in a fridge?
Open the door, take the giraffe out, and put the elephant in
Everyone in the jungle had a meeting. Everybody showed up except one animal. Who was it?
the elephant. He was in the fridge.
You come across an alligator-infested river. How do you get across?
You swim across. All the alligators are at the meeting.”
Just wanted to share. Carry on
New Year, New Me
Happy Saturday (or whatever day you’re reading this), everyone! I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s Holiday!
Mine was quiet. Hung out with a lot of friends from high school New Year’s Eve, and stayed home New Year’s Day. Nothing too special, but it was still very nice.
Anywho, tonight I was thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2014, seeing as it’s a year of firsts for me (first year as a legal adult, first year out of the public school system, first year I’m living mainly on my own, etc. ). Here’s what I came up with. Let me know what y’all think-I love hearing everyone’s opinions!
- Lose Weight (aka “I need to lose more than the Freshman 15”)
- Get all A’s this semester and next fall (not that my grades this past semester were bad, they were just
not prettynot where I want/need them for med school) - Get my paper on Sherlock fan works and fan groups to the point where I can submit it to journals to possibly be published (because GOSH DARN IT I AM PROUD OF THAT PAPER AND I THINK IT’S PRETTY DARN INTERESTING)
- Actually submit said paper to journals to possibly be published (I am a habitual procrastinator)
- Possibly go to Philadelphia Comic-Con (because it’s my life goal to see Stan Lee in person!)
- Be happy (because we all deserve to be)
#Not Dead
So, uh, you know how I said that I’d try to update here more often since Christmas is over and I can’t use school as an excuse for another 2 weeks? Yeah.. sorry about that…I’m not dead! Don’t worry! I just had things to do, people to see, places to go, etc. etc. etc.
Now, where was I… Oh yes! Christmas! Merry Belated Christmas, everyone! I hope Santa left you lots of wonderful goodies under your tree (or, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, here’s hoping that your respective holiday was wonderful and you received anything that you wanted/needed)! Personally, I had a wonderful holiday. I got a nice copy of Gray’s Anatomy (the textbook, not the show), some new clothing and shoes and a pair of earrings by a designer that I love (my mom went to high school with her, and I’ve gotten some of her pieces for Christmas the past couple of years. They’re so funky. I’ll post pics later). My brother got me a necklace of Tony Stark’s arc reactor from the Iron Man (which, being the nerd that I am, is now one of my new favorite pieces of jewelry), and I got him 2 books that he hasn’t put down since.
Funny story time (well, I think it’s a funny story)! A couple days before Christmas, a friend of mine from high school tagged me and another friend in this picture since all three of us are fans of Doctor Who. 
I commented on it saying that I wouldn’t mind finding Matt Smith (who’s in the picture) or Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock; I’ve mentioned him before when talking about my massive paper I did and the surveys that I sent out) underneath my Christmas tree since I love both of their shows, think they’re fantastic actors and, well, I find them visually appealing (don’t judge). Conversations occur within the comments of the picture, yadda yadda, this isn’t the funny part.
So fast-forward to Christmas morning: on top of my little section of presents is an 11″ cardboard standee of Matt Smith as The Doctor. I go to unwrap the gifts I gave my brother, and, lo and behold, one of them is the Star Trek: Khan comic book with Benedict Cumberbatch on the cover. So, technically, I did get Matt Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch for Christmas ;D.
It’s hard to believe that tomorrow’s New Years Eve already… I feel like we just started 2013 not that long ago. It’s crazy…
So, in honor of the New Year, which brings SEASON 3 OF SHERLOCK FINALLY (!!!), here’s a little pic that inspired the title of today’s (tonight’s?) post. Tumblr user ShockingBlankets has, in my opinion, some of the cutest Sherlock art, and has an entire series of gifs titled #NotDead, where Holmes reveals the fact that he is alive to Watson. You have to click on the picture for the gif to play (yay technology). So, enjoy!
Glad to be Back!
And….. FINALS ARE OVER! Yay! Thanks for being patient with me as I wrapped things up for the semester! Let’s check in with a couple of things I’ve mentioned over the past couple of months:
- The paper I was writing on BBC’s Sherlock: That’s finished! The paper itself was 17 full pages (double-spaced), and, with the bibliography and abstract that my professor wanted us to include, it turned out to be a 21-page document. I am so happy with how it turned out, and, especially with Season 3 coming out on January 19th (or January 1st if you’re one of the lucky ducks who lives in the UK), a lot of what I discussed (fan fictions and communities) will be highlighted in the media. So, if what I submitted looks good, I might make some edits, further my research, and *hopefully* get it published in a journal!
- The surveys I sent out as part of the 21-page paper: Out of the 9 I sent out, I only got one back, and that was because it was a wrong address. I’m taking that as a sign that the addresses I found on the internet are relatively accurate and I’m hoping that I’ll hear back from at least one person eventually. In a perfect world, it would be awesome if some of the people called me and did the whole interview over the phone, or, better yet, flew me out to London so I could do it in person. Will this happen? Probably not.
Do I care? Nope! Not at all! - The guy I spent an entire post ranting about: Nothing new on this front. Frankly, I’m not worrying about it. If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen. There are more important things in my life right now that I have to focus my energy on.
Well, that about sums it up. It’s currently snowing, so I hope it doesn’t lay on the roads so I can get to my haircut safely (I’m not very experienced with snow driving).
Later 🙂
24 Hours Left!
Wow… I feel like a bad blogger again! Sorry for not updating in a while, guys! ‘Tis the season for everyone’s least favorite college activity: FINALS!
Thankfully, I only have one actual test, which is tomorrow. So, as soon as that’s done, all I have to do is press “submit” on my one paper and then I’m DONE! FINISHED! So, just bear with me, and I promise that, as soon as Christmas break starts, I’ll update more!
You Guys Spoil Me…
Really. You do.
I thought I’d share my stats. I’ve had hits on this blog every day except for one over the past month. I’m still in shock. Thank you guys 🙂 You really don’t know how special this makes me feel.
A Few of My Favorite Things Pt. 4: Not My Words
Happy beginning of December! Wow, it’s weird thinking I started college only 4 months ago… Where has the time gone? I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of family and great food! I know I loved seeing everyone back home, even if it was just for a few days.
So, to continue with the series (which I hope everyone’s enjoying), I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes.
For When I’m at a Road Block:
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”~Sherlock Holmes (The Sign of the Four).
For me, this kinda demonstrates that nothing is truly impossible. There’s always a small chance that anything can happen, and, sometimes, you just have to hold on to that glimmer of hope.
When I Need Reminded Why I Want To Go To Medical School:
“You ‘never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets’ unless there’s children crying”~Amelia Pond (Doctor Who, The Beast Below)
This was actually the basis for my one college application essay. I’ve wanted to go into medicine since I was 4 (yes, really. I’ve known since that early of an age that I’ve wanted to be a doctor. I have photos to prove it, too), and I’ve always loved working with kids. Since I primarily want to work with Type 1 Diabetics (who are typically diagnosed as children), I’ve said that, basically, I want to answer their cries.
When Life Just Seems Hard:
“Don’t Dream It. Be It”~Rocky Horror Picture Show
Sometimes I just need that little bit of a push in order to remember that I can be whatever I want to be. Nothing’s Impossible. You just have to work for it.
When You Need To Smile:
“Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Rhyming is hard
I’m Batman”~Unknown
I don’t think I need to say anything else. Have, a good week, everyone! I’ll leave you all with this gem. 
RANDOM THURSDAY UPDATE
Well, I feel weird because I haven’t updated in a week (besides my new series that so far I’m keeping up with), so here’s a picture of some tea. I may or may not be on a tea kick right now (this is my 3rd mug in as many hours). It’s the decaf Wild Berry Zinger which is absolutely delicious!
That is all. Have a good Friday! Drink some tea!
A Few of My Favorite Things Pt. 3: Books!
Happy Monday! Well, it’s still Monday here (it’s 11:50 at night!)…
I like to read. Like, a lot. So….
Favorite Series: Definitely Harry Potter. I read the first one back in 2003 (Wow, is that really 10 years ago? That’s insane), and I have read everyone at least once. Deathly Hallows was started and finished in less than 48 hours (I am proud of that), and I have read it too many times to count. They have given me something to bond with people over (like my college roommates, since we all enjoy the series). Also, if you haven’t seen them already, Team StarKid does an AMAZING parody musical (A Very Potter Musical!)
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: This also qualifies as “The Freakiest Book I Have Ever Read in the History of Ever,” but I do love Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. The things he describes in this book are beyond messed up, but you can’t stop reading. I read this in one sitting over the summer, and I want to read it again (my copy is sitting at home on my dresser right now). Burroughs also has other books out (a few of which I have read and enjoyed, despite the freakiness).
What I’m Reading Right Now: Currently, I have challenged myself to read all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories before the end of the school year. I love them, but I haven’t had as much time to sit down and read them as I would like. But, with Thanksgiving break almost upon us, Hopefully I’ll be able to meet this goal!
What I Want To Read Next: Well, to quote Maud Casey, “I was born with a reading list I will never finish.” There are so many books that I want to read but don’t have the time to. Some of them include Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth (the sequels to Divergent, which I highly recommend), Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, and the Lord of the Rings series (which I have started so many times, and just got bored with part of the way into the first book).
Well. That’s all I have for today! Feel free to post your favorite books down there! I love hearing what everyone enjoys 🙂
Girl on the World 