Merlin. A five season show following a loose adaption of the legendary characters King Arthur, the Lady Guinevere, and the great magician Merlin… only before Arthur was king,  before Gwen was a lady and when Merlin was just Prince Arthur’s man servant. Well, Merlin was already a magician, he just had to hid it so he wouldn’t be killed. While being Prince Arthur’s manservant. Tricky, tricky. How he lasted five seasons without being detected is worth a round of applause.

I recently finished the fifth and final season of BBC’s Merlin and I gotta tell you; wow. What a good show. The finale was a punch in the gut, I even teared up near the end (didn’t actually cry, just teared up). And it’s left me a lot to appreciate.

The two character I liked the most were both Merlin and Arthur. Not just because they’re hilarious together but because they were realistic characters. The two start off disliking each other very much but over time they build a solid friendship with plenty of banter between them that made me laugh. But the two of them individuality go through excellent character growth that I greatly appreciated.

We’ll start with Merlin, because he’s my ultimate favorite.

Merlin is an extremely likable character; he’s funny, he’s way smarter then everyone thinks he is, he’s quick to learn, yet he can be clumsy and is not a good liar. He learns to accept his destiny as the the protector of Arthur and uses the magic within him to preserve his master and the kingdom he loves; Camelot. But he’s not perfect, and that’s what makes him a fully rounded, balanced, realistic character.

You know how in most movies, there’s always the cliched young protagonist who ends up going against what some figure of authority or elder has said, to do things his own way and it ends up alright in the end? Well, Merlin is imperfect in that against warnings from his mentor, the court physician Gaius, and the great imprisoned Dragon, he often does things his own way. The awesome thing about this, though, is that writers of this show make Merlin suffer the consequences of his choices.

Merlin, especially through out the first few seasons, does things his way but then later on, whether in a different episode or different season, the consequences of his bad choices come to threaten everything that he’s worked for or holds dear and he regrets going against the wise counsel given him. You don’t see this in most films, do you?

Merlin makes mistakes but he’s also wise and discerning, this baffling Arthur and the other knights who view him as just a clumsy friend to tease. Merlin has a soft heart, he’s kind to all. He becomes very loyal to Arthur and puts his life on the line for him an awful lot, saving his life, or the lives of the noble family many times; often without anyone’s knowledge except Gaius’. He does great things and learns to love doing those things without any self gain or reward. He’s a great title character and we could stand to learn a lot from him.

And Arthur, too; shall we talk about Arthur, now? Lets, because Arthur almost has more character growth then Merlin does.

We meet Arthur as spoiled, very prideful prince. That’s a long ways off from even being similar to legendary character who’s goodness and nobleness of heart made him one of the greatest kings ever. But that’s part of the beauty of this show, in meeting Arthur before he was a great king. We get to see him grow from being selfish and prideful into an extremely self-sacrificing and noble man who puts his kingdom before his pride. He learns to live out excellent skills in leadership and humility. And that was how I learned to love Arthur.

It’s also why I think most men today could stand to watch this show and learn from his example; that the greatest of men are the most humble and self-sacrificing. It was amazing to watch throughout the five seasons as Arthur learned to stand up for what was right, even against his own father the King; to see him humble himself before those he had wronged, including those who were enemies, and literally say, “It was wrong of me.” He made things right, often saving the spilling of blood.

One of the things I like most about Arthur was that when he knew something was wrong but his father, King Uther, was going to do them anyway simply out of pride, he would often stand up and say, “No, this is wrong and I can not do what you ask.” It takes a lot of guts to stand up like that, even to your own father who happens to be the king of Camelot. But Arthur learned to stand up and do the right thing. And I raise my hat to that.

The other thing that I really, really appreciated was that Arthur always kept his word. If he promised someone he would do something, he would do it, even if it was extremely dangerous. This was a great breath of fresh air for me to see someone follow through with his commitments.

By the end of Season Five, Arthur really was the noblest King Camelot would ever see.

There are a lot of other things that I could try to cover but there really is too much to discuss, so I’ll keep this shorter then longer. A few of these will quickly sum up a few things that I just love about the show; besides, I need my moment to share some fangirly stuff, I haven’t really talked about this show on here like I have Sherlock or even Dr Who, and I’ve only seen the first season of the latter.

I need this…

…. I laughed a lot watching this show, it really did help relieve some stress even though it wasn’t supposed to be a comedy.

So, what did I learn from Merlin? You don’t need recognition to do the right thing. The best men are the humblest men. Great leaders are those who put their people ahead of themselves. Give ear to those around you, especially great Dragons who can see the future, they might have some good counsel for you. Always stand up for what is right. You never know what the future holds. Your friends will tease you a lot because they are just that comfortable around you to do so; that’s how you know you are good friends. Never judge a person by their cover, your man servant could be the most powerful sorcerer in existence.  True love always prevails. And embrace your destiny, it was given to you for a reason….

Thank you, Merlin, for finding me when you did. Thanks for being there for me and for setting some noble examples. I greatly appreciated it.

~Jamie

This past week my blog made it to a milestone that I honestly thought would never happen. I hit 100 followers; actually I hit 101 followers! And it blew me away! So, I first wanted to say thank you to all of you, especially any of you who took the time to comment; it was your presence especially that I really appreciated! A thousand thanks to all 101 of you.

On this blessed occasion, I want to share one thing about my blogging experience that has aided me in my blogging journey; a key factor of my blogging ethics, in fact. I’ve always blogged for my own enjoyment. My amount of views or comments has never really phased me, even though I get very excited when people leave their feedback on my thoughts. But I’m thankful that I learned quickly at the beginning of my blogging journey that blogging will never be satisfying if I’m doing it to please others. I will never make everyone happy; not everyone can or will agree with me on what I like or think  or believe. So, I’m glad that I quickly learned to blog for my own enjoyment and not let my happiness lay in how many comments people leave or if my stats go up or down by 30 percent. This policy has served me well and is a mindset I would recommend to any and all writers who go public with their scribbles.

However, I’m thrilled to pieces that there are that many of you who enjoy my writing enough to follow me, either by email or WordPress. It makes me feel very special, and once again I give my thanks to you! I tip my hat; I raise my glass; I stand; and I give a great bow; I loose my balance and follow off my stage… et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

~Jamie

Currently listening: to the Wreck-It Ralph soundtrack, specifically Sugar Rush’s theme. This song makes me happy and I really wish I could visit Sugar Rush myself, it was the cutest arcade game ever in existence

Currently eating: Terry’s Chocolate Orange (dark chocolate of course!) One of my favorite chocolates, it reminds me of Christmas and when I was a innocent and naive little girl. Nostalgia.

Currently sitting: at the dinning table for once instead of at my desk.

Currently learning on the piano: Marsden’s Lament from Warehouse 13 and playing around with the Harry Potter Theme and Fireside Dance from Oz: The Great and Powerful; not doing so well with those two.

Currently writing: an assortment of film reviews for my other blog and about to begin my “What I Learned From Merlin” post considering I just finished the final season on Sunday.

Currently tired: from lack of sleep, I’ve been trying to get up earlier but my sleep cycle has gotten knocked around so it’s hard to fall asleep before midnight now. *sigh*

Currently excited: about watching The Office tonight with Kayla!

Currently scaring myself with: scarier movies… and I don’t know why I end up watching them at night when I’m alone in my room right before I go to bed. The thing is I enjoy dark scarier movies and at least I’m not a vivid dreamer.

Currently praying: that Kayla gets comfortable with her new schedule and that everything will go well when I see my dad tomorrow and that we will get a lot of rain this monsoon season. I really want some rain.

That reminds me.

Currently wishing: for rain.

~Jamie

I saw Iron Man 3 last night and it was a-maaa-zing! A lot better then I was expecting and I was kinda expecting a lot; but it was an excellent sequel and they didn’t screw anything up in my opinion. I didn’t cry! I actually didn’t cry but that didn’t bum me out either. Also, I am keeping this spoiler free!

It was great seeing Tony again, especially since he’s my second favorite Avenger. Everything going on with him was very realistic behaviors after he what he went through during the alien attack  in The Avengers, it was good finally seeing how he was doing after the whole ordeal.  Although shaken up a bit, he still had his same good ol’ sense of humor that was fun to hear!

I LOVED seeing Pepper again, she’s always been my favorite Marvel woman. She was wonderful; she even had a few kickbutt moments of her own which was amazingly awesome. I’ve always loved her and Tony as a couple so I was inwardly squealing through many of their scenes; Tony was actually not so much of a jerk towards her and apologized several times and reassured her of his feelings for her. That’s  just swoon worthy because guys never apologize or take responsibility for their screw ups anymore, so for a guy like Tony Stark to do that to Pepper was just awesome to see. They’re still one of my most favorite films couples ever.

All of Tony’s suits were really awesome to see; I’ve always loved the scenes where’s he’s building or experimenting with his suits, so I was happy to see he had been doing more experimenting. I certainly loved his new suit capabilities; they just get better and better with each movie that comes out!

Keeping this short and neat, I’m going to finish off by saying I thoroughly enjoyed this next addition to the Marvel series, it was a blast to watch, it had some great lines and some surprising twists and turns. I highly recommend viewing in theaters! Oh, and also the end scene after the credits was brilliantly amazing and I was grinning SO. DANG. HARD! Do not miss that scene!

~Jamie

Well, life is strange right now; one day still blurs into another now that we haven’t gone to church for several weeks; going to church on Sunday always helped the week feel right; Monday felt like Monday and Tuesday felt like Tuesday. Not so much anymore but hopefully a new routine will help that.

I miss seeing people; church was pretty much the only place where I was able to socialize with people. I miss The Doctor a lot, I miss Sherlock Holmes a lot too; a year of reading Doyle’s works very faithfully every week set my mind in a certain pattern that I really miss. There was a security in doing the same thing every week: talk, pick a story, read the story, see each other on Sunday and gush over that story, talk some more and then pick another story. Week after week for at least eleven months; it was one of the few things that stayed consistently the same and it made me feel secure. It was nice knowing someone else was enjoying the exact same thing I was and wanted to do it with me as much I as I wanted to do it with him.

That pattern has now been shattered and I feel like I’m floating in space or under a great big river underwater not really knowing what to do now. No more reading, no more seeing my best friend, no more church. I miss it a lot.

The only problem with all this is that my dad will use (already has tried to use) the church and even my best friend as a manipulation tool to try to get me to start seeing him again on his time table and not mine. I do not understand why he can’t wait for me to be ready on my own time or that it is impossible for me to even consider attending a church with him. It hurts a lot to have things that are very dear to you used as dangled bait in front of your face as though your a dog who can’t see that’s it’s attached to a string. It’s hurtful and cruel.

I am thankful, though, that I do know what I need to do and that I now have the freedom hold my ground as to where my boundaries are and what I feel comfortable in doing. I’m done in being constantly run over, in being emotionally manipulated and being mentally frightened by what other people think. I need to do what it takes to protect myself; I’m done with being forced into a tiny box with no consideration to my feelings or needs as a person while being told that that is “biblical female submissiveness”.  I’m done with that crap and I’m learning to stand up for myself and for my mom and siblings against patriarchy that has been horribly twisted and blown way out of biblical proportion. Enough is enough. The sad thing is that very few people have been able to understand our side of it or are unwilling to see how big of a problem it is and that really sucks.

So, yeah, those are some conflicting feelings I’ve been working through and I’ve been very grateful to God that I, as of yet, have not yet been completely crushed under the pressure.

So, I’ve had been struggling a lot recently, but comfort things always come in handy around now; like reading. I recently picked up my collection of HG Wells’ novels and started the Time Machine as sort of an antidote against my Holmes-reading-withdrawal (I think I and The Doctor have become as addicted to Sherlock Holmes as he’s addicted to heroin, actually). It’s been an interesting substitute to say the least. I like HG’s way of titling characters without necessarily giving them all names, like “the Medical Man” “the Provincial Mayor” “the Time Traveler” “the Editor” and then there’s Filby, who  has quite the personality.

It’s different but interesting and enlightening in many ways in regards to my own writing style but I’m not going to get into that right now!

The other comfort is that Kayla and I have been together again since she’s come home. I helped her rearrange her room and we’ve watched a lot of The Office recently and a couple comedies together. Although we’re very different in personality and have different tastes when it comes to almost everything (clothes, music, ect), we get along very well, and it’s nice to have someone to lean on. We make a good team. And yes, I have been very grateful for having my own room now that she’s returned. Except that I’m directly under her bedroom and Nathan likes to be in Kayla’s room and he does not know how to walk softly, so in the morning it’s like a jack hammer is on above my head while I’m trying to sleep. My mornings have been bizarre as of late.

So anyway, to tie this kinda mash of ramblings together, I’ve kinda been floating through space here, but I’m learning a lot about myself and about my personal needs and personal convictions; I really hope this devastating experience really helps build and shape me into who I’m suppose to be in the future.

Because my story isn’t. over. yet.

~Jamie

So, Solace Utara tagged me in her 11 Tag; considering I’m feeling rather lazy, I’ll only be answering the questions she asked this time around instead of also coming up 11 facts and then 11 questions and then 11 different people to tag. I also couldn’t get the questions to copy over right the first few times (wordpress, although efficient, can be frustrating every blue moon) but I think it was worth it in the end because I had a lot of fun answering these!

What movie are you looking forward to the most this year? Well, that would be a toss up between Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, at least for the most. Other movies I had on my want to watch list like Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, The Lone Ranger, Catching Fire, Oz: The Great and Powerful and Warm Bodies; those last two there I’ve already seen.

Opinion of Maroon 5, One Direction, Fun., and Taylor Swift? Well I’m afraid I have no opinion of Maroon 5 and Fun. because I live undera rock and haven’t heard them before. One Direction is overrated but I have nothing agianst them personally. Taylor Swift is a good artist although I’m not a country music fan; she seems like a sweet person. A few of my favorites include Our Song, Mine, 22 and Picture to Burn.

Describe your best friend. Wow, okay, I’d descibe Kayla but she says siblings don’t have to ‘count’ as bestfriends and she doesn’t count me as her best friend even though I am, so… I’ll describe The Doctor instead since he’s my other best friend. He’s pretty much Victorian nobility coping with the twentyfirst century and it’s deteriorated English language and dress style; he’s very observant, he can both tease and be considerate at the same, he’s really funny, he’s a good storyteller, he’s smart and supportive and kind and a pretty good dancer. I also do not mind saying that his hair is awesomeness itself and I don’t think he would mind me saying that. I really miss him and our weekly talks of Sherlock Holmes and just life in general.

What did you think/what are you expecting of Iron Man 3? Expecting to cry at least once, I will be surprised if I don’t tear up. I am expecting to be wowed and I hope it’s as good as everyone has made it sound!

Harry Potter or Hunger Games or Percy Jackson? Hunger Games; I’m afraid it’s not really fair for me though because I’ve not seen Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. But I do like The Hunger Games; that was a good movie.

How long have you been blogging? Two years and almsot five months. I can be that exact because I began blog on New Years Eve of 2010/opening of 2011 (same day I saw A New Hope for the first time). It’s been such a fun journey; I’ve learned a lot about myself, my writing style has gone through some growth of its own and it’s made for a great tool to speak my mind and meet other people who think or have similar interests to me.

Five main fandoms? OH MY GOSH HOW DO YOU JUST PICK FIVE MAIN FANDOMS I LOVE SO MANY NOW THEY’RE ALL PART OF MY LIFE GAH. Okay, seriously, I can give you four for sure: Star Wars, The Avengers, Sherlock and Dr Who. The fifth would be, I suppose, a toss up between Grimm, Warehouse 13, The Office and Merlin. Because those are all special to me in different ways; only some of you will really understand what I mean because we all have those special fandoms that mean something to us.

Last thing that made you smile. Mmmm, not sure; I’ll say finding some new clothes at Savers for 25 percent off the other day, that made me very happy. I’m mean, these were super cute tops, people, and putting on something new and fresh for only a few dollars really made me feel brand new. I felt cute and attractive and I could tell that my personality really came through. I’ll have to get some pictures sometime, I suppose. I just felt really good…

What do you want be when you grow up? Well, what I would really like to be is a stay at home mother but that’s all really out of my control and I don’t see it happening anytime soon, so I’m trying keep my mind ground in reality right now. If my head and emotions ever settle down, I would like to put more engery into writing fiction but for now, blogging consistantly again will be probably be all I’ll be capable of doing right now. Now, when I was little, I used to want to be a vet or a paramedic. Go figure; at least about the paramedic thing; that is not my thing now. I understand the vet part though, I love animals.

What is the object left of you? Uhh, a scented candle and my bedroom wall. Wow. Really amazing, I know.

Well, I believe that was all! Thanks for tagging me, Solace Utara, I had a lot of fun coming up with answers for these! Have a good Sunday, everybody!

~Jamie

I haven’t talked about Star Wars in a while but today would be a good day to tip my hat to the saga once again, as being that first big fandom that grabbed my heart and admiration by the first movie. Star Wars is what helped connect me to many of my long time internet friends and it was there for me during family difficulties and a transition of churches and friends. It helped bring me and Kayla together to bond over something special and fun and put me on the road of loving sci-fi and fantasy.

What I love about Star Wars:

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

Darth Vader.

The Millennium Falcon.

“I love you.” “I know.”

Chewbacca.

“Who’s scruffy looking?”

Imperial March

Lightsabers

Princess Leia

“Would it help if I got out and pushed?” “It might!”

Jedi Knights

Carbonite.

“Either shut him up or shut him down!”

Han Solo.

Jedi tricks.

Rebels.

I’m not sure what we’ll be doing to celebrate other then maybe listen to the soundtracks and walk around wearing our helmets.  Maybe I’ll dress up as Vader for a little while and hopefully we’ll watch one of the movies, but nothing is concrete. Any of you have plans to enjoy some Star Wars today?

Anyway; may the Force be with you! Fly your X-wings safe and don’t stick anyone with your lightsabers today.

….I have a house to go decorate.

~Jamie

I saw my first zombie movie about a few weeks ago; Warm Bodies, a pleasing twist to the classic Romeo and Juliet tale told in a dark but comedic way from the zombie’s point of view. Yeah, I know, sounds bizarre but when I first saw the trailer last year I knew I would want to see this movie. It looked clever, funny, dark, sweet and something new. Seriously, it’s a good trailer, watch it here if you want. (It’s also going to be the only place you’ll get from me on a plot summary; so if you want actual plot summary, go find your friend Wiki…)

Well, I went and saw it at a local cheap theater by myself (yes, my Mom knows I went and saw this, she dropped me off, lol) and I loved every minute of it. I’m pretty sure I was the only girl in there, too. lol.

For a film about zombies, who obviously eat people, there was little gore, which I appreciated. There was less language then I expected, only a few s words and one f that slipped in. The romance was not annoying and moved at a realistic pace, which always makes it way more enjoyable to watch. And it was humorous; I was smiling throughout most of the film from R’s commentary. I would agree with the rating of PG-13 for viewer recommendation.

R is my new favorite character right now, besides Merlin and Nick Burkhardt. He was protective of Julie, kept her safe and provided for her. For a zombie, he was quite the gentleman; reassuring, kind, knew when to give her space and time to herself, was never angry at her when she did things her own way and ended up putting herself in danger. And he loved her, and it was this love that began to cure his deadness. But more on him later.

Julie is the link between the zombies and the last of the human race. She is decent character in my opinion because she’s balanced. In a lot of movies, females are often portrayed as two extremities; their either completely dependent on the male hero in that she can’t even stand up on either of her feet and her complete happiness rests on someone else and she’s just useless. Or their completely independent, extremely able to kick-butt while in their high heels and their don’t need anybody for anything. Julie hits the healthy center between these two (both of which are unhealthy for anyone in existence ever.) She’s strong, she’s daring, she can shoot, she’s brave. She also is human. She’s fearfully like anyone else; while she can stand on her own two feet, she learns to except the help R is offering to her. And that’s not a sign of weakness.

The romance was good and pretty clean.  A lot of romances especially based after the Romeo and Juliet structure often have outrageously unrealistic relationships where both sides instantly fall in love and it’s just not believable at all*islookingatWestSideStory* (“instantly falling in love” is often confused with “instantly feeling your chemistry” in a lot of movies; learn to tell the difference between human chemistry and real ‘love’.) While R was instantly attracted to Julie and it’s not really explained how (considering he first sees her during a battle), it still works. Okay, just believe me, it works. However, Julie has a realistic amount of time for her feelings to grow from absolute fear, to curiosity, to being just friends to having real feelings. And R is patient with her; he doesn’t rush things, he waits for her to feel comfortable around him. And the longer they were together, the more human he became.

What was so interesting about this movie was that it wasn’t just one genre. The romance didn’t control the story but it was a large part of the plot. R’s commentary was funny and clever but the film wasn’t a comedy. And it wasn’t a zombie-gore-o-rama blood and guts film; there was little gore but there was some actual plot structure and character growth to it as well. I’m pretty sure that’s missing from a lot of zombie movies.

And the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were fun and different; instead of two warring families, it was humans against zombies. There was even a balcony scene that wasn’t cheesy. There was more at stake for R and Julie then just ‘their feelings’ for each other; there was the recently discovered ‘cure’ for turning the zombies back to humans and that was human love and interaction. Julie ultimately had to make her father (who was the leader of the human resistance) realize that many of them were changing because of what they saw in her and R; it reminded them of something they once had as humans. So, their relationship was actually important and influential; more then just selfish ‘but we’re in love and we want to be together’ crap.

So, that was very appreciated.

Ultimately, the message of the movie was that being alive, being human; life in general, is precious. R, a zombie, knew he was missing something and as he became more alive began to actually feel things that we feel everyday. So, you end up leaving the movie feeling grateful for things that you never thought about before; the fact that you can feel cold, the fact that you can sleep at night and dream your own dreams, that you have memories, and that you can interact and connect with others. That you can feel emotion.

This was excellent for me, because when you’ve gone through very hurtful situations where you feel rejected by those you need the most, the heart ache and hollowness can make you wish that you simply couldn’t feel things anymore. You start wishing that you didn’t have to care about anybody ever again because caring means you will eventually get hurt. And you start to close yourself off from everyone because that’s the only way you can think of to keep from being hurt. Again.

I’ve felt like an emotionally and mentally dead zombie for a while now because I’ve been so hurt but not given a chance to properly heal before getting hurt again. So I just started to feel dull and closed off. Yeah, I’m standing up and eating and moving through the day but the ‘you’ is dead. Like a zombie.

But R helped me appreciate my feelings in general. Life will always hurt, emotions will always be there to confuse me and people will always let me down. But being hurt means being human and being human is one of best things in the world. Because while love can really suck and it can also really heal. Like R, I’m want to start healing, to start changing, to start feeling again. Because being a zombie is both really inconvenient and no fun. If you stay that way, you eventually loose anything that was human about you and become something bitter and twisted, like the Bonies from the film. And there was absolutely nothing redeemable about them.

I know this movie probably wouldn’t appeal to a lot of you, but it means something to me. It’s helped face me towards a road of healing because I emotionally and mentally related to R in many ways. That might sound weird, but I’ve found over the last few years that hope and help come from the strangest places.

So, I highly recommend this film to the appropriate age group. It’s not a film for everyone, but it strangely helped and comforted me. I can’t wait to add it to my DVD collection.

Zombies. Whodathunk?

~Jamie

So.

May I present you my new room? (If you are wondering or have forgotten what my old room used to look like, you can check this post out to refresh your memory if you would like.)

^My bedroom door from across the hall.’Nuff said.

Okay, here’s a shot to give you an idea of what it looks like to just stop at my bedroom door and look in. You can see the “Dr Who” chair with all my pillows, the curtains my mom rehemmed (she also made the tie-backs that match the one pillow).

I stepped into the room to take this shot, you can see actually see my Batman headphones there on the desk, they unintentionally matched the Batman clock I got for Christmas.

Turn to the left and you can see what I have against my wall. My two shelves and yes, I have my clothes hanging on a double rack because Mom wouldn’t give up the closet for me to use (it’s full of canned and boxed food and I couldn’t have hung my clothes up in there anyway even if we did empty it.)

My Batman clock which I have sitting on my windowsill right now. I’m debating whether I want to keep it there or hang it over the window or hang it over my door….

A view of my desk if you stand in front of my clothes. You can see my candle and I was just using my C-3PO pez machine and the two pictures I keep on my wall of Kayla and Daryck and me and The Doctor. ALSO, THERE IS MY SHERLOCK POSTER!

I ordered this off Amazon and it looks amazing. It’s perfect. And, yes, I really do blow Sherlock and John both a kiss each night before I go to bed. I really do. Yeah, I know I have a screw loose somewhere in my head…. It’s kind of a ‘sorry/not sorry that I’m in love with them both’ sort of situation right now. But moving on…

Here is my matress on the floor, right next to my desk. No, I don’t mind sleeping on the ground, it’s worked out very well. Oh, my mom made that pillowcase. And those are the two posters I just put up. Sorry/not sorry I have an asylum nut and the boy scout right next to each other. I’ll probably rearrange the posters around when I get a Dr Who poster in the near future.

Oh, and here’s Sully! He matches my room and he is the perfect cuddling/hugging size. He scares away the monsters who lurk in the hall and closet at night for me.

Here is a shot of my door/behind my door from inside my room. You can see the covered shelves that my mom had to keep in the room, they hold the family movie collection. You can also see my large Captain America shield. It guards my door at night.

If you are standing at my desk, you can see the closet’s sliding doors that are right next to my door. Yeah, all that space I could have had but it’s still the family pantry. I will eventually hang posters on the doors though, so that’s nice.

I can’t believe I used to put my stuff all on one shelf before. I guess I did have half a closet at one point, but still. Having two shelves instead of one is really nice. You can see the top of my one, has my first Darth Vader helmet, my telephone replica and my tigers.

I’m very proud of this little corner collection. I love my Basil Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes tin that I randomly found a few years ago at Savers . You can see my pipe Kayla gave me for Christmas, my keys, my old pocket knife, my trick cigarette and my lipstick pen.

Here is my small and private dvd collection, which I am very proud of. You can see from left to right, Dr Who season two, The Avengers, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Sherlock seasons one and two, Star wars bonus material and The Phantom Menace, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 3, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and yes I own Cloudy with Chance of Meatballs. So what if I liked that movie?!?!?

Here is my soundtrack collection which I have been building since I was about fifteen years old. And some of my nail polish. And yes, the sliver thing back there? It’s exactly what it looks like.

Favorite books collection right here with the rest of my nail polish. Also that brown container used to be a cocoa powder container but when I was fifteen I washed it out and put a slot in the top and I’ve been keeping spare coins in it for ages. Chocolate and money, how does it get better?

And I have only the top of my second shelf to show you; the Darth Vader head you see there is actually a boom box. I’m serious! It’s a boom box and it’s the coolest thing ever. When I’m hanging out tonight I’ll probably put the Beetlejuice soundtrack in it. And yes, that’s a top hat with a masquerade mask on it with another hat on top of it. And there’s Buzz Lightyear and Woody. And my box of matches.

I know some of you were probably wondering where all my Star Wars posters went; well, I put them in my new bathroom; it’s a loosely Star Wars themed bathroom now, which I absolutely love!

So, those are the pictures!

What do I like most about my room? Well…. I have it all to myself. No negotiating with anyone where I can put this or that or keeping things seperated or any of that difficult crap. That sounds selfish, but I think it’s okay that I can be glad to finally have some space and privacy to myself. I shared that room for seven years, it’s time I was able to shut a door and have someone actually knock before rushing in and disturbing me for once.

Is it very different for me? Yes. It is strange to wake up and be downstairs already. I rarely go upstairs now, and I’ve slept upstairs my whole life. The room that is now mine has been the family junk room (full of shelves with misc. stuff that had no place else to go so it wound up on the shelf) and the guest room/excersise room before and so on, so that’s odd. Never in a million years did I know that one day, it would be my room.

But now it is, and no longer that horrid yellow but a beautiful bluish/green with brown contrast and my posters up on the walls and it’s all to myself!

One thing I miss?

I can’t look up from my pillow at night and reach out and touch the stars. Okay, so, ever since I was about six or seven, I’ve slept on the top bunk. And, I should have been born blonde so that this doesn’t sound as bad as it does, but it was only within last year did the idea dawn on me that I could put glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Wait…. I was born blonde, it just darkened over time…. ANYWAY, I’M RAMBLING; a year ago I put glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling over my bed. And so, when I’m lying on my right side or on my back in the middle of the night feeling wide awake and thinking or feeling down, I would reach up and touch one of the stars. Because people say you should always reach for the stars, and for the last year of my life, I’ve been able to do that, figuratively speaking.

Not any more though, at least, not from my bed. I put them on the wall over the sink and mirror in the bathroom, so I suppose if I wanted to, I could get up out of bed, stumble across the hall, stand on the bathtub’s edge and smack one of them with my palm if I’m feeling really depressed, but that just won’t be the same. It certainly doesn’t sound the same, lol.

Anyway. I love having my own room but I have a feeling I’m going to appreciate it on a whole new level with Kayla home.

Lots of thanks to my mom who was open to the idea of me moving downstairs and put so much time and work into cleaning out and painting and even buying me new carpet even when we didn’t have to! Love you, Mom!

~Jamie

Dear Twins (or Thor and Iron Man),

I’m going to miss hearing you talk about The Avengers every week. I’m glad I was able to teach you checkers and I will miss our rematches. Thanks for liking my piano playing and making me play The Avenger theme a lot for you. I had fun matching all the kids up to different Marvel characters with you. I’ll miss your hugs and silly grins and accents. You both are very sweet and I will miss you a lot.

Jamie, or Miss America

Dear Zak,

We never talked that much but I would like to say goodbye to you too. Thanks for the ammunition you gave as a graduation present, that was pretty cool. Keep an eye on the twins for me, okay?

Jamie, another gunman

Dear Lauren,

I will miss not being there the next time your sister decides to surprise you. I absolutely loved all those adventures we had, especially when all us girls hid in the bathroom of that one store and we jumped out at you. I’m glad we got that on camera. I think your very strong and brave for your age and you have such a fun personality. Also, thank you for pushing me last summer to play the preludes for church. That really helped me get out of my comfort zone. So thanks.

Jamie, another musician

Dear Gabrielle,

It’s been fun getting know you. I remember the time when it was only you and me and one of the twins that went down to the park one Sunday and we ran around in the wash pretending to be SHEILD agents escaping from Loki; that was a lot of fun! Thanks for teaching Kayla and I all your card games and talking to us. Thanks for playing for church every Sunday, too, you are good violinist. I will miss you and your dry sense of humor.

Your older sister, Jamie

Dear Boys,

This isn’t really a goodbye, it’s a more a thank you. Because I really can’t say good bye to you both just yet and we do live only a mile away from each other, it would be weird and silly if we never saw each other again. But, I’m going to miss seeing both of you at church every week.

Dear Daryck,

Yes, you are a gentleman even though you tease me all the time; but I’ve simply taken that to mean that you are comfortable enough around me to tease me the way you do, which makes me happy either way. Thanks for talking to me all the time and for making me a fan of Halo even though I’ve never played it; I always liked hearing about your video game escapades and other stuff you’ve done over the week. And your movies, I always liked hearing about your movies. I’m very very glad you liked BBC’s Sherlock, I hope you didn’t sleep through the end of Reichenbach Falls! I will miss you and your jokes and teasing.

Your friend no matter what, Jamie

Dear Dylan, or Doctor, or Lord William, or Sheriff Will, or Sherlock Holmes; I don’t know what the heck to call you anymore,

We became friends very fast, didn’t we? I can only think of two other people whom I became friends with just as quickly, so our friendship is rare and meaningful to me. So, this isn’t goodbye, it’s just ’till our next adventure’. My book will remain on the shelf with bookmark between The Dying Detective and The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax until I know for certain that we won’t be able to finish it together. Thanks for reading all those stories with me and for introducing me to Dracula and getting me that collection for my graduation. Thanks for always talking to me and listening to me play the piano and trusting me during do-or-die moments during Cops and Robbers. We made such a dang good team! I will miss you very, very much but I will still  hold out hope that we will be able to read every single Sherlock Holmes story together! Thanks for being my best friend; thanks for everything. Remember I’ll always have your back.

With much respect and admiration, Jamie, or Dr Watson, or Deputy Penny or The Dame, or your time traveling companion; whichever you most prefer.

~

Dear Kayla,

You have been gone for a long long time, way over a month. And I have missed you. But you are coming home very very soon, and I’m so glad. Because friends come and go but I think you will always be there for me just like I’ll always be there for you. It will help having you back to keep me from being to lonesome for our friends. I can’t wait to start watching Dr Who together, and picking up where you left off with The Office and hopefully you’ll see more Warehouse 13 soon. We shall go to movies together and stay up late watching stuff in my room and we’ll read the old Cousins stories again together and we’ll keep being besties forever. I’ve really missed you and I’m glad you’re coming home.

Your sissy, Jam.

~

Goodbyes are terrible but

I’ve said ‘goodbye’ and ‘until next time’ and I’ve cried my tears and told myself I will see everybody again. But that doesn’t stop my heart from hurting. Because the worse thing about making new friends is that they will actually mean something to you one day. And when it comes saying goodbye to those friends a few years later, it’s just….

It’s just that, sometimes, it’s hard to let them go.

~Jamie